Grigal, Meg

Administrators in higher education play an important role in making college possible for students with intellectual disability (ID). This resource is designed for higher education professionals and contains the perspectives of experienced leaders in higher education who have developed college programs for students with ID. There are also resources for professionals to explore developing an inclusive postsecondary education (IPSE) program and welcoming students with ID on college campuses.

Think College REPORTS present descriptive data in narrative and tabular form to provide timely information to researchers, practitioners, and policymakers for review and use. This report provides program- and student-level data reported by TPSIDs (Transition and Postsecondary Programs for Students with Intellectual Disabilities) during the 2021-2022 academic year. Program data reflect program characteristics, academic access, supports for students, and integration of the program within the institute of higher education during the second year of FY 2020-2025 funding.

This Highlights document was created with data from the Annual Report of the Cohort 3 TPSID Model Demonstration Projects (Year 2, 2021-2022) for those who are interested in the most critical statistics from the report, or are sharing with a broad audience. It features bold graphics and brief summaries of program and student data, including exit and post-exit outcomes.

Educators play a vital role in setting expectations and sharing resources with students and families who are interested in college. This resource includes steps educators and transition professionals can take to help students with intellectual disability (ID) and their families to explore college options!

Reviews of the transition literature have identified 23 in-school predictors of post-school success for students with disabilities. We sought to identify available variables in the National Longitudinal Transition Study 2012 (NLTS 2012) Phase I dataset that correspond with the 23 in-school predictors of post-school success to better understand transition experiences for students with disabilities. This report discusses the iterative review process we used to identify close matches for 11 predictors, weak matches for 6 predictors, and no match for 6 predictors.

College-based transition services provide opportunities for transition-age students with intellectual disability and autism (ID/A) between the ages of 18 and 22 to receive their final years of secondary transition services in a college or university setting. We compared the extent to which youth with ID/A experience in-school predictors of post-school success in conventional vs. college-based transition services. For our analysis we used the NLTS 2012 Phase I dataset and the Transition and Postsecondary Programs for Students with Intellectual Disability (TPSID) 2010-2015 dataset.

The Higher Education Opportunities Act of 2008 created grants for Transition and Postsecondary Education Programs for Students with Intellectual Disability (TPSID) model demonstration projects. These projects have been implemented since 2010 at campuses across the United States. This slide deck shares findings from a recent evaluation of 38 TPSID programs in 2020-2021. It 10 year trend data related to inclusive course access, career development, campus membership, credential attainment and employment outcomes at these programs.

Employment is one of the most significant markers of independence and success for a person. One’s ability to secure and maintain employment in a paid position can have a significant impact on their overall quality of life, community participation, financial self-sufficiency, and pathway to a long-lasting career. Unfortunately, the paid employment rate for youth and adults with a disability remains markedly lower than their peers without a disability.

This publication shares findings from a secondary analysis of the NLTS 2012 dataset, looking specifically at parent expectations for students with intellectual disability and autism and compared them to those of students in other disability groups. Specifically, parent expectations around living and financial independence were examined. Findings of this study are in line with those from previous studies, showing that parents of students with intellectual disability and autism have lower expectations for their children post-school than parents of other students in other disability groups.

This issue of Impact, by the Institute on Community Integration at the University of Minnesota, highlights critical areas of need for inclusive higher education. Accreditation holds promise for ensuring the quality experience that students and their families seek. Opening inclusive programs to a wider cross section of students is also important, as is making sure programs are truly inclusive, offering coursework that leads to competitive employment.