Papay, Clare

This article describes how programs responded to meet the needs of students with intellectual disability (ID) in response to campus closures and remote learning. The authors relied on individual experiences as well as notes from the Think College program staff meetings, focusing on academics, social inclusion, and employment, as well as the changing roles of peer mentors and families. The article concludes by looking forward to the Fall semester and beyond, examining the longer-term impact of remote instruction and what this could mean for inclusive higher education. 

Students with intellectual disability (ID) are increasingly attending postsecondary education institutions and acquiring work experiences while completing their studies. One of the main motivations for students with ID to seek higher education is to broaden and increase their chance for finding fulfilling, paid employment in their communities.

This webinar, hosted by KU Transition to Postsecondary Education (KU TPE), features a presentation by Meg Grigal and Clare Papay about how educators and families can better support students with ID/D to begin their college journey ready for success. Learn how to support high school students with ID/D cultivate foundational skills; access academic supports; and develop 21st century skills using technology for communication, navigation, and social connections.

Meg Grigal, Clare Papay, and Brian Freedman from University of Delaware, presented a session called Including Students with Intellectual Disability in the First Year Experience at The 39th Annual Conference on The First-Year Experience.  This conference provides an ongoing forum where higher education professionals can share experiences, concerns, and accomplishments related to supporting student learning, development, and success in the first college year.

This Fast Fact provides a summary of the findings shared in the Year Four Annual Report of the TPSID Model Demonstration Projects (2018-2019). Findings are shared across multiple categories including employment, vocational rehabilitation, academics, academic and employment supports, residential services, program completion and credential attainment, and one-year outcomes.

Think College REPORTS present descriptive data in narrative or 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 2018-2019 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 fourth year of FY 2016–2020 funding.

Amendments to the Higher Education Opportunity Act (2008), including the creation of the Transition and Postsecondary Program for Students with Intellectual Disabilities (TPSID) model demonstration program, have led to increased opportunities for students with intellectual disability to obtain postsecondary education. The present study builds on previous reviews of the literature on postsecondary education (PSE) for students with intellectual disability (SWID) to provide a review of articles published in peer-reviewed journals between 2010 and 2016.

This guide can be used by staff and administrators at institutions of higher education to develop procedures for collecting data on the outcomes of students with intellectual disability after they graduate from higher education programs. It explains why it is important to collect data, methods to use, and what to do with the data once its collected. Samples are shared throughout this publication.

The Transition and Postsecondary Program for Students with Intellectual Disabilities (TPSID) model demonstration program, funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Postsecondary Education was implemented initially from 2010 to 2015. During this time, 27 institutions of higher education were awarded grants to develop programs for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) to access higher education. TPSID programs were charged with developing model demonstration programs that would lead to gainful employment.

This Fast Fact provides a summary of the findings shared in the Year Three Annual Report of the TPSID Model Demonstration Projects (2017-2018). Findings are shared across multiple categories including employment, vocational rehabilitation, academics, academic and employment supports, residential services, program completion and credential attainment, and one-year outcomes.