Source Loudoun Now

Internship Helps Young Adults with Disabilities Hone Job Skills

Graduation can be a little nerve-wracking for any family. But for parents of special needs students, that last day the school bus picks up their child can feel like they’ve reached the edge of a cliff.

“We kept thinking, gosh, this is going to be really hard. He’s going to be thrust out there,” Dianne Murphy, who’s 21-year-old son, Matt, has Down syndrome. He graduated from Loudoun County High School in June.

But a new partnership with the Virginia Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services, Loudoun County Public Schools, the National Conference Center and nonprofit organization Didlake is giving young people with disabilities a chance to hone their skills before they enter the workforce.