by Joey Colbert, reporter
OMAHA – Throughout the last seven months, Ollie Webb Center, Inc., has had to teach its clients all online during COVID-19. For one student, she isn’t letting the pandemic stop her from achieving her goals.
Madi Colbert, who is 23 and diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, has been enrolled at Ollie Webb for over three years.
Ollie Webb, located in the Center Mall at 42 and Center St., is an education program where special needs students, like Colbert, go for educational opportunities, employment training and recreational programming. Prior to the pandemic, they would go to various places in the Omaha area, such as the community center or the library, to conduct their classes.
When COVID-19 hit Omaha back in March, teachers and students of Ollie Webb struggled to adapt to virtual learning. Jim Hoggatt, artistic director of Ollie Webb, says the program hit a standstill in activities to avoid students contracting the virus.
“We kept all of our classes at the center, because we didn’t want to go out into the community because there’s going to be more people,” he said. “Pretty soon after that, we just had to close our doors down, and now we’re conducting classes via Zoom.”
For special needs students, there are major challenges to virtual learning. Hoggatt said it depends how students responds to using technology. Some people are capable of using it and some may have a difficult time. However, Hoggatt says it’s convenient for students and teachers to keep in touch with each other.
“It’s very socially engaging to be on the computer,” he said. “[For] others, they like being in person, I think just like anyone.”
The benefits for Colbert having Zoom classes is seeing her friends. However, she misses the connection she had in person before the pandemic. She stresses her frustration at being on her computer most of the day, rather than being in class.
“How am I supposed to learn new things if I can’t do person-to-person [classes],” Colbert said. “[The] only [thing] I could do is focus on the screen.”
One of the major challenges Colbert faces is not having her vocational training. Colbert is currently looking for a job. However, when she reaches out to employers, Colbert found out that companies in her field of interest just aren’t hiring.
“We usually just tell them like, ‘hey, are you hiring at this moment,’” she said. “They always say no.”
With the help from her independent provider, Emilie Foss, Colbert is learning the basics of taking care of her apartment, baking and cooking foods, and even continuing the job search.
“We just kind of have to change what we’re focusing on,” Foss said. “For Madi, she really does want a career. She wants to be like everybody else.”
From volunteering at the Humane society and Valas Pumpkin Patch, Colbert believes she has the experience to get the job she hopes to obtain. She wants to be an independent person like everyone else.
“Community involvement is really important,” Foss said. “It definitely helps with learning more skills and everything.”
During the fall, Colbert is taking a digital marketing class at Ollie Webb. Her class meets on Zoom every Tuesday and Thursday for three hours.
Colbert’s long term goals are to live independently, and land a job at a bakery. She loves to bake and create unique desserts from macaroons to made from scratch brownies, and Oreo stuffed lollipops. She hopes in the future she will be able to utilize and improve on her baking skills so she can ultimately reach her goal of independence.
“I want to be my own person,” Colbert said.
