An emerging program in Fulton County is helping young adults with special needs transition into college and the workforce. As our Matt Hunter found out, the organization's founder developed the idea after working with her own daughter.

GLOVERSVILLE, N.Y. – The 20-year-old version of Coty Rulison who started at the Transitions program after high school three years ago was locked in his shell.

"When I first came, I was very shy and antisocial," said Rulison, who is now 23. "I had a tendency of putting up a wall in my mind and ignoring everything that was going on around me."

"He would not talk,” said Shaloni Winston, the founder and executive director of Transitions. “In the years that I knew him, I was never able to have a conversation with him."

Today, the Johnstown native, who was diagnosed with autism as a child, is engaging with teachers and peers and even leading group discussions.

"Coty’s story is amazing," Winston said.

"I still feel my social anxiety, but Transitions, through the classes I was in, that helps us manage the stress," Rulison said.

Coty was one of the first students enrolled in Transitions, which is based in Gloversville. The program, which is under the umbrella of the Lexington organization and The Arc of New York, helps young adults between the ages of 16 and 27 successfully move on to either college or a career.

"Transitions is truly focused on helping each person become more independent than they were before," said Wintson, who is also the executive director of Lexington.

Winston came up with the idea for Transitions after working with her own daughter, who has special needs but is now a mentor at Transitions.

"That made me see the void that is in our community for teens and young adults who are capable and who are ambitious but have some difficulties related to their autism or learning differences," Winston said.

Winston says most programs for young adults with autism end after high school. Transitions focuses heavily on social engagement and honing skills like financial and time management. Some students like Coty even live in their own in supervised apartments.

"We are teaching them how to live the way you and I would live when you are a young adult," she said.

Cody is now pursuing his associate's degree and a career with the DEC -- opportunities that, perhaps, seemed far out of reach when he first arrived here.

"I am very grateful for the people who have come into my life," Rulison said. "A lot of people tell me that if I was to sit next to myself, I probably would not even recognize my own behaviors."

In addition to the year-long program, Transitions offers weekly and summer camps. For more information, visit the organization’s website.