March is recognized as National Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month, and a program in Louisville is helping those with developmental and intellectual disabilities learn independence through a college like experience.

They have had three graduates of the program in the last year, who are now living on their own.

The group of individuals that we're serving on are oftentimes they do have an identified disability, but they're not considered disabled enough to be considered to be getting continued services.

So a lot of times when there's a happening, they end up staying at home.

They don't get to work full time jobs.

They don't necessarily get to, experience living on their own.

So they're kind of stuck in this netherworld where they're at home with their families, and they never really get to get out and explore what they could actually do with their lives.

And we provide the family and the individual a safe place to feel here, because when you first move out on your own, you do make mistakes.

So we're providing them a safe place with mentorship, with classes, and a safe place for them to truly live on their own.

I didn't want to be stuck living with family forever.

I wanted to, you know, learn to be independent.

And, you know, my mom was pretty scared.

I was, that was never going to improve until we found Dayspring.

And so you.

And so now I'm, you know, you know, learning to love the independence and learning to, and learning to, and learning new things that, that we were afraid, like I never knew it.

Our classes go from everything of cooking and cleaning to how to ask somebody out on a date to, going out to the movies or to see a play.

That's what I say.

We try to hit on every aspect of what life can be, from the practical to the artistic.

Life is a spectrum, and for us, we want to make sure that our students have the full spectrum of what it could be to live a full life.

There's Kitchen Masters, which is teaching me some great new recipes.

There's there's a relationship classes which are teaching me some way, relationship skills.

I would say that the biggest scrub, would be, would be.

And so my social skills, they're not perving.

They're not burning to go back.

They're still like, slowly improving button.

Yeah.

And also, and also I'm not really being on my phone as much.

Another big part when you first move out on your own, some of the deepest relationships you ever have are with the people that you first live around when you're by yourself.

And a lot of our folks have never had that chance.

So they come here.

We're trying to also foster and build peer to peer relationships that will last a lifetime.

I enjoyed it, especially being very male.

Like it makes you feel like less lonely having a roommate.

It's good to have a support system.

And it's I do have a couple friends here that have an ally as a friend.

I just love all the friends I'm making and the great mentors and, and just the independence.

Kind of history on the right subject.

The day the day spray program can house up to 18 students at their current campus, which will be undergoing some renovations.

They're also expanding their student center and instructional kitchen.