HALO Program

HALO Program Heartland Academy for Learning Opportunities

Since 2009, the Heartland Academy for Learning Opportunities has provided postsecondary opportunities to students ages 18-28 with intellectual, cognitive and developmental disabilities. HALO students build personal and social skills through a balanced learning experience that includes reading, writing, math, and technology. In addition, the program offers these students an opportunity to experience life on a college campus while developing self-determination, independent living, and employability skills.

Get to know Collin Felde.  Collin graduated from HALO in 2025. He is originally from Peoria but now resides in Bloomingt...
04/01/2026

Get to know Collin Felde. Collin graduated from HALO in 2025. He is originally from Peoria but now resides in Bloomington. In his free time Collin enjoys playing D & D, video games and watching anime. His future goal is to get three degress in Engineering: Electrical, Chemical and Mechanical. He shared that the most helpful thing abou the Transition Year has been the Success Ed class. After Transition Collin plans to take more credit courses at Heartland.

HALO 2-Year students at the Normal campus worked on knife skills this week in Cooking Skills. Everyone made their own ba...
03/31/2026

HALO 2-Year students at the Normal campus worked on knife skills this week in Cooking Skills. Everyone made their own batch of play-doh then used that to practice knife safety and how to make different cuts. Then everyone got to practice those skills by chopping and slicing fresh vegetables. They did an amazing job!

Get to know Kendall Meredith.  Kendall is a HALO Class of 2025 graduate. In her free time she likes to read, write, draw...
03/30/2026

Get to know Kendall Meredith. Kendall is a HALO Class of 2025 graduate. In her free time she likes to read, write, draw and play video games. Two future goals that Kendall has are to become a stop-motion animator and to get a job at a coffee shop or bookstore. Kendall said that HALO has helped her to figure out how and where to get a job and how to successfully reach her goals. After Transition Kendall plans to take credit classes at HCC and then transfer to ISU.

In our Transition classes we have been talking about compensation packages and what can be included in those baed on you...
03/27/2026

In our Transition classes we have been talking about compensation packages and what can be included in those baed on your employer. Yesterday Carrie who is the Human Resources manager at our local Hy-Vee came and spoke to our classes about what specific benefits are offered at Hy-Vee. The students had lots of great questions and learned a lot about what can be included in a compensation package!

HALO students in the Normal Cooking Skills class got their first step into the kitchen this week. They made eggs and pan...
03/26/2026

HALO students in the Normal Cooking Skills class got their first step into the kitchen this week. They made eggs and pancakes. Breakfast is served!

The Region 3 TPC will be hosting their Transition Fair Open House on Thursday, April 9, from 9:00AM-Noon at Heartland Co...
03/25/2026

The Region 3 TPC will be hosting their Transition Fair Open House on Thursday, April 9, from 9:00AM-Noon at Heartland Community College in the Astroth Community Education Center. This is a free event for high school juniors and seniors (through 22 years) with disabilities and their parents to connect with over 35 local resources in the community and hear special guest speaker Erin Compton at 10:00AM.

Get to Know Mersei Mavungu!  Mersei is a 2025 HALO graduate. She is originally from the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
03/24/2026

Get to Know Mersei Mavungu! Mersei is a 2025 HALO graduate. She is originally from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Her hobbies include reading and writing fairy tales on her computer. One of her personal goals is to become an author. Mersei shared that her favorite part of the Transition year was having a peer mentor. After the Transition program concludes in May, she plans to continue taking classes at Heartland Community College.

We are working to bring our HALO Transition Year to the Heartland Community College Pontiac campus this fall! After high...
03/23/2026

We are working to bring our HALO Transition Year to the Heartland Community College Pontiac campus this fall! After high school, many young adults find themselves asking, "What's next?" Our Transition Year assists students with intellectual or developmental disabilities in developing an action plan to transition into credit college courses or to find more competitive employment in the workforce.
Visits are now available for Spring 2026. Sign up to visit our Normal or Pontiac campus and learn about the 2-Year and Transition programs, visit a HALO class and meet some of our students, and learn about our application process. Go to heartland.edu/HALO for more information or sign up at https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090B45A4AD2FA57-59185270-halo #/

On Wednesday the Student Access and Accommodations Department held a Neurodivergent Hangout. All  students were invited ...
03/20/2026

On Wednesday the Student Access and Accommodations Department held a Neurodivergent Hangout. All students were invited to stop by and hangout by playing games, coloring, and enjoying some snacks. Several games were played but Uno seemed to be the crowd favorite :-)

HALO 2-Year students at Heartland Community College Pontiac practiced reading instructions to use common household appli...
03/19/2026

HALO 2-Year students at Heartland Community College Pontiac practiced reading instructions to use common household appliances and recipes in their Reading and Writing for Life class this week.

Get to know Emily Hergett. Emily  is a HALO Class of 2025 graduate. She enjoys listening to Lady Gaga and has an interes...
03/18/2026

Get to know Emily Hergett. Emily is a HALO Class of 2025 graduate. She enjoys listening to Lady Gaga and has an interest in Halloween monsters. One of Emily’s academic goals is to take a speech class. She shared that her favorite part of the Transition year has been spending time with her friends. Emily is excited about her future and plans to work full‑time at her new workplace!

📢Students, this event is happening tomorrow!!! Come see us!Come Join Student Access and Accommodations for a Neurodiverg...
03/17/2026

📢Students, this event is happening tomorrow!!! Come see us!

Come Join Student Access and Accommodations for a Neurodivergent Hangout!! We will be in the Student Commons Building (SCB) on the second floor in the open study area on Wednesday, March 18th. The event will last from 11-1. We will have games, a doodle table, a coloring activity, a group story and snacks! Drop in anytime, we hope to see you there!!

Address

1500 W Raab Road
Normal, IL
61761

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 4am
Tuesday 8am - 4pm
Wednesday 8am - 4pm
Thursday 8am - 4pm
Friday 8am - 4pm

Telephone

+13092688255

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