ABSTRACT

Colleges and universities are developing innovative opportunities for students with intellectual disabilities (ID) to access postsecondary education. This poster presents the work that was completed by one Think College Emerging Scholar, funded through AUCD, in 2012. The focus of this poster is on program development for postsecondary education for students with intellectual disabilities. Approaches to developing these types of opportunities are provided. Recommendations and tips learned through efforts to develop postsecondary education opportunities at one university are shared.

PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT: The Raising Expectations for Academic Learning (REAL) Certificate at Arcadia University. Arcadia University is a private university in metropolitan Philadelphia, offering bachelors, masters, and doctoral degrees. The university has approximately 2200 undergraduate and 1800 graduate students. Estimated launch date: September 2013
The Raising Expectations for Academic Learning or REAL Certificate will offer students with disabilities the opportunity to participate in the same learning environments available to same-age peers in an academic-, vocational- and social inclusion-focused program. This two-year program will include auditing a minimum of one (1) undergraduate course per semester and completion of a specified number of vocational and other experiences. An individual plan for college participation will be developed for each student. Students: This certificate will be for interested and motivated students with intellectual disabilities who are: Between the ages of 18 and 25. In their final years of high school (up to 3 years) or who have completed secondary education. Not able to access college by meeting typical entrance criteria. Able to learn to navigate the college environment with necessary supports and to be unsupervised for a minimum of one hour. Able to arrange transportation to and from campus.

WEBINAR: Getting Started: Developing Inclusive College Opportunities for Students with Intellectual Disabilities Presented by Megan Griffin and Clare Papay, September 17, 2012 For recording and handouts, see www.thinkcollege.net Strategies for developing inclusive postsecondary opportunities:

Understand and document the need

Consider what are the current options in your area as well as the desires and interests of students/parents, and higher education faculty/staff/administrators

INTRODUCTION
Postsecondary

education for students with intellectual disabilities has gained popularity in recent years. According to recent estimates from Think College, a national technical assistance center for college options for people with intellectual disabilities, there are currently over 250 colleges and universities that provide opportunities for students with intellectual disabilities. About half of these programs offer dual enrollment for students ages 18 to 21 who receive their final years of public education on a college campus (Grigal & Dwyre, 2010). There are many benefits to these opportunities, including inclusion with same-age peers in a typical environment, higher expectations for academic and social learning, and increased awareness and acceptance of diverse populations by college students and faculty.

Look for good examples

Draw on the Think College database to find examples of other programs in your state and nationally. Research options to better understand what kind of program/opportunities YOU want to develop

THINK COLLEGE EMERGING SCHOLARS PROGRAM

In

Gather interested parties

Find supportive members of the college/university community, students, parents, other college students, representatives from disability advocacy organizations. Always ask: Who else needs to be involved?

2012, The Institute for Community Inclusion at the University of Massachusetts Boston, in collaboration with the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD), launched Think College Emerging Scholars Program. The purpose of the program is to build a network among this next generation of research professionals through collaboration, information sharing, and dissemination of new work. The program provided a $3,000 scholarship for 5 doctoral and postdoctoral students conducting research in the area of postsecondary education and ID, to support travel costs and product development. The Scholars were also provided with opportunities to disseminate their research to a broad audience and to collaborate with fellow scholars and senior researchers in the field. Think College Emerging Scholars were expected to: Participate in bimonthly calls with the Think College team Present a webinar on their research Submit a proposal to present their work at a national conference Submit a manuscript, either for a research-to-practice brief or to a peer-reviewed journal Work collaboratively with at least one other scholar on one of the above activities Attend one face-to-face Emerging Scholars meeting at a conference to present their work If funding is available, serve as a mentor to a scholar in the future

Person-Centered Planning: Individual planning sessions will guide the selection of courses and activities for each semester the student is registered in the certificate. Courses will be selected based on a few predetermined required courses, as well as student interest for vocational or personal development.
Academic requirements and supports: Supports will be provided by the certificate coordinator and volunteer undergraduate peer mentors. Courses will most likely be audited, but may be taken for credit if the student is capable of meeting the requirements of the course without modification of its content. Supports for accessing courses, vocational experiences and other instruction will be individually addressed.

Develop a shared vision

Make sure all team members are on the same page about desired outcomes

Weekly schedules: Students will spend approximately 20 hours per week on campus. This time will be spent attending classes, gaining work experience, receiving academic tutoring and life skills instruction, and socializing with peers. Students will follow the regular Fall/Spring semester calendar.
Fees: The cost of this certificate will be $6,000 per semester, which includes the costs associated with auditing classes, taking part in workrelated experiences and community-based social instruction.

Make a pitch
Consider who to approach at the college/university. Understand the context and scope of your request. Target information specifically to your audience.

CONTACT INFORMATION: Clare Papay Assistant Professor of Special Education Arcadia University papayc@arcadia.edu