The past few months have been filled with lots of excitement in the IPSE world, which is why spring is one of our favorite times of year! Other than saying goodbye to winter, and the beautiful weather emerging, spring brings both Acceptance Letter Season and Graduation Season in the inclusive higher ed community - and our favorite day of the year, #IPSEDay! This spring has been especially exciting, with lots of buzz generating on social media that encompass all three of those events.
There have been several exciting acceptance letter videos shown across social media, like this video of a student learning the news he’ll be attending Mississippi State featured on his local news channel, and a handful of videos from our friends at UNT ELEVAR who shared several students’ acceptance letter videos! We also had a parent reach out to us sharing her son reading his acceptance letter, sharing "I've been following college opportunities since he was born and there were no programs in Louisiana. I always included our goal for him to attend college in the parent concerns section of his IEPs. We are so thankful for this opportunity and love what Think College does to educate people on the programs available!"
We’ve also seen several videos of students graduating going viral on social media, like this one of Grace Clements, daughter of Clemson University President James Clements, tackling her dad as she crossed the stage, and this sweet clip shared by SportsCenter where a Vanderbilt graduate runs straight to give his mom a proud hug with his new diploma.
Sharing these moments across social media is such a powerful way to challenge harmful myths and stereotypes that students with intellectual disability aren’t capable of attending college. These posts not only celebrate the incredible accomplishments of individual students, but also open the door for more families, educators, and policymakers to see what’s possible. When the world sees students with intellectual disability thriving in college, it helps reframe what inclusion can and should look like. These clips aren’t just feel-good stories — they’re proof that expectations can, and must, be raised.