“There have been studies around teaching people with disabilities to work in a pizzeria, for example. But there’s a huge gap in terms of this population and post-high school vocational training, and we see that gap throughout society in general,” agreed Maixner, who was brought in to incorporate “soft” skills training into all areas of learning, including students’ project development similar to a real work environment. “This is really a first in my field of behavior analysis and once we develop a scientifically validated approach, that is going to be impactful for others wanting to prepare these high functioning individuals for other occupations,” he added.
According to the practitioners, proven practices such as multiple exemplar training will help develop the resiliency and adaptability students need to succeed in fields that are highly collaborative, and better prepare them for a career in which every project is unrelated to the previous one, yet requires a core set of technical skills. “We’re really talking about the fluidity of their skills, or what companies call their ‘core competencies’ in that when they are presented with a new problem, they can apply all those skills and not just be able to do one thing,” explained Maixner.
With soft skills training and what many view as this population’s creative and technical advantages, graduates of Exceptional Minds’ three-year digital arts program are expected to be strong candidates for fulfilling jobs in the highly competitive fields of visual effects and post production.
Material from a press release was used in this report.
- Using student housing to sharpen your retention strategy - September 23, 2026
- Preparing with confidence: Reflections on the dissertation proposal defense - September 18, 2026
- Beyond the gotcha game: Moving from AI detection to verification-first supports stronger academic integrity - September 16, 2026
Comments are closed.