OLS Bellevue College

We're having an awesome time at the King County Developmental Disabilities and Early Childhood Supports Resource Fair today!

Thank you to King County, Washington - Government for hosting this wonderful event. We look forward to it every year.

One of the goals of the OLS program is to help neurodiverse students with disabilities become self-determined individuals—the ability to make informed choices and take control over their own future and destiny.

This is a goal students work towards throughout the entire program, but we also have a dedicated Self-Determination course in which students discover their unique strengths, build essential self-advocacy skills, and create a practical action plan for future independence and success.

One activity students in this course completed this quarter was creating a Life Map that included key moments from their past to help them gain a broader perspective of their goals and the progress they've made towards them.

This is a great exercise that helps students recognize and reflect on their self-identity and connect their past experiences to their present traits and personal goals.

Awesome job, OLS!

There are still a few spots available in our Skills for Work Summer Camps—don't miss your chance to join us this summer and explore options for life after high school!

Our camps introduce workplace readiness skills and career options to students with disabilities who want to take charge of their future. In these one-week camps, participants identify their unique strengths and explore vocational and educational options in a safe, friendly environment.

Who You Are
- 16-22 years old
- Have an IEP, 504 plan, or documented disability
- No history of behavioral issues
- Able to participate in camps with minimal support, and willing to be part of group discussions and activities. Parents, therapists, tutors, and/or other supporting persons will not be allowed to attend camp sessions.

Our camps are limited to 16 campers—so don't wait to secure your spot!

Register today: https://bit.ly/47VwOQK

See you this summer!

We'll be at the King County Developmental Disabilities and Early Childhood Supports Resource Fair next week—will we see you there?

Join us for a day to learn, connect, and grow!

This is a FREE community event that welcomes people with intellectual and developmental disabilities or delays, their families, caregivers, service providers, teachers, employers, and other interested community members.

Enjoy a variety of workshops and over 100 information tables to connect you with the people and tools to support your goals.

Register today: kingcounty.gov/disabilities-fair

Our Career Portfolio course is one of the foundational classes to the career thread of the OLS program and is designed for students to learn about various career fields. This quarter, students got insight right here on campus into two amazing fields: Public Service & Safety and Library Sciences!

The team at BC Public Safety explained the career pathways and adjacent fields of study. Students were most surprised at the sheer size of our campus and had great questions for our Public Safety Officers.

The Bellevue College Library hosted OLS students and discussed how to get into the industry and adjacent career pathways. In addition, they helped students identify strengths that will help them know what they are looking for in their future internship.

Thank you, BC Public Safety and BC Library for taking the time to talk with our students!

Another fun write-up from last month's Sustainability at Bellevue College Earth Week events, this time from 3rd-year OLS student Nathan!

"I attended an Earth Month event on April 15, 2026, where I participated in a hands-on tie-dye activity focused on sustainability and creativity. After reviewing the list of campus events ahead of time, I chose the session held at 11:30 a.m. in D106 because it combined art with an important environmental message.

The purpose of the activity was to promote upcycling—reusing old clothing to reduce fast-fashion waste—and to encourage the use of eco-friendly dyes. When I arrived, I looked through the available recyclable fabrics and chose a small, thin towel for my project.

To begin the process, I folded the fabric lengthwise and secured it with rubber bands, creating sections for the dye pattern. I then placed the towel into a navy-blue dye bucket and let it sit for about 30 minutes. Afterward, I rinsed it in the sink and removed the rubber bands, revealing the final design.

The experience was both creative and meaningful. It showed me how simple actions, like reusing old materials, can support sustainability efforts. Before leaving, I thanked the organizers and brought my finished piece home to wash and dry, completing the process."

Thanks for sharing, Nathan. Your upcycled piece is great!

Bellevue College has so many incredible resources for students. This week, we are giving a HUGE shout-out and thank you to Corey Goelz from the Center for Career Connections at Bellevue College for working with OLS 3rd-year students!

Corey did a resume workshop with all of our 3rd-year students on May 6—and it was absolutely amazing. She did an incredible job walking students through creating and formatting resumes and spent her whole day working with all of our 3rd years.

This was absolutely invaluable information for our students, helping them understand how to create polished, ready-for-interviewing resumes that will stand out on a job application.

Thank you, Corey, for taking the time with OLS this week!

Our next internship spotlight is Ryan!

Ryan supports the daily operations of the .xrlab by assisting with virtual and augmented reality equipment, helping set up and test XR experiences, and supporting students and staff as they use immersive technology. He also helps organize equipment, troubleshoot basic technical issues, and learns how XR tools are used for education, training, and creative projects.

Ryan is exploring a career pathway in emerging technology, virtual reality, and interactive media. His internship is helping him build hands-on experience with cutting-edge technology while developing technical, problem-solving, and professional skills that can transfer to future roles in tech or digital media fields.

He’s especially enjoyed seeing the projects he’s put time and effort into come together and be used by others. While learning new tools and technologies every day can be challenging, Ryan embraces it and enjoys the constant opportunity to grow. This experience is helping him build skills in areas he’s passionate about while developing a strong foundation in creating a wide variety of digital formats for his future career.

Way to go, Ryan! Keep up the great work.

The OLS Critical Thinking Through Film course is a unique experience where students go far beyond watching a film and begin to analyze it through a new lens. Through exposure to many genres, students were able to see societal issues on full display.

For everything we see in a film, there is so much that goes on behind the scenes to make what we see actually happen—and we wanted to see what it was like behind the camera. To get an idea, OLS Students visited the Bellevue College TV Studio.

Students got to tour the server room and the studio, learning about the various technologies that make it all happen. They especially had fun playing around with the “invisible cloak” in the green screen room and disappearing on camera. It was interesting to see how they can overlay any background they want, so it can appear like you are in a weather station or anywhere else you can dream up.

Students ended their tour in the control room where all the magic truly happens, from transitioning between cameras to changing the backgrounds to sending information into the studio.

Thank you to David Bruckner and the BCTV Team for the amazing tour and peek behind the scenes!

Be sure to check out everything BCTV is up to on their website: https://www.collegechannel.tv/