Successful completion of college requires more than attending to coursework, it also requires the development of foundational skills and personal competencies such as working with others in a collaborative manner, effective communication, problem solving, and self-direction skills. These same skills are also needed to support future career success.
Over the past decade, the field of inclusive higher education has expanded considerably, offering a growing number of options for students with intellectual disabilities and/or autism (ID/A) to access college experiences that include career development and employment. This focus on employment spurs many of these programs to partner with state vocational rehabilitation (VR) agencies. However, these partnerships require staff from both entities to develop an understanding about each partner’s role to work together effectively.
This poster, presented at the NIDILRR 40th Anniversary Celebration (https://acl.gov/NIDILRR40), reports findings from a mixed-methods study by Think College staff on the role of vocational rehabilitation (VR) in promoting postsecondary education for students with intellectual disability and/or autism. The study included secondary analysis of data collected from TPSID model demonstration sites and intensive case studies of four effective VR/higher education partnerships.
