Lee, Stephanie Smith

This slide deck shares information that postsecondary education programs for students with intellectual disability can use to understand the current status of program accreditation and learn about tools that are available from Think College to support programs in becoming accreditation-ready. Future steps to refine and finalize an accrediting process and develop an accrediting agency are also shared.

To increase opportunities for students with intellectual disabilities to attend inclusive college programs, it is critical to understand current federal and state legislation and to develop relationships with policymakers. This is not a partisan issue. This is about sharing information, educating legislators and understanding how students, advocates, families, professionals and your neighbors can influence the process.

This resource shares the PPT slides from a session at the State of the Art Conference 2021 that shared the current status of the accreditation process as well as the recommendations from the recent Report to Congress. This session was presented by: Martha Mock, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, University of Rochester, Debra Hart, Director of Education and Transition, Institute for Community Inclusion, and Stephanie Smith Lee, Senior Policy Advisor, National Down Syndrome Congress.

The 2016-2020 National Coordinating Center Accreditation Workgroup submitted this statutorily mandated report to the US Department of Education Secretary and relevant Congressional committees in May 2021, summarizing the work of this Accreditation Workgroup and outlining revisions to the Model Program Accreditation Standards that were developed by the 2011-2015 Workgroup. This new report includes highlights of lessons learned from public input and a field test of the original standards, as well as recommendations to Congress and the Secretary of Education. 

This nonpartisan webinar recorded in October 2018 highlights key federal and state policies and legislation that will be impacted, including education, inclusive higher education, the future of long-term services and supports, and the availability of health care for individuals with pre-existing conditions. The involvement of individuals with disabilities, family members and professionals in the public policy and electoral process is key to improving services and supports and ensuring that Congress and state governments address the needs of individuals with disabilities.

This report examines issues regarding needed alignment of services and collaboration among agencies and institutions of higher education (IHEs) to achieve the goal of supporting youth with intellectual disability (ID) to obtain increased academic learning, independent living, and competitive integrated employment through participation in postsecondary education.