Since 2007, the state of Massachusetts has steadily expanded the number of campuses offering inclusive higher education pathways to students with intellectual and developmental disabilities by partnering with local school districts to provide dual enrollment opportunities to students still receiving special education services as part of their transition plans. In July 2022, landmark legislation was passed in Massachusetts to expand inclusive higher education options in all public institutions of higher education across the state ensuring that campuses establish guidelines to support individuals with intellectual disability.
To address the need for professional development to support this growth in Massachusetts, "Emerging Trends: A Conference on High Impact Transition Practices" was established in 2016. This year’s Emerging Trends conference took place on June 13, 2024 and the energy was palpable. Conference coordinator Ashley Luce (Think College) and her conference committee exceeded all expectations, arranging a day of learning and networking; there was no detail missed. Presenters from Massachusetts and across New England presented on a range of topics important to college options for students with intellectual disability. One particularly notable topic was student experiences. Students from across the state prepared remarkable poster presentations, sharing their stories with pictures about their college experiences. These sessions solidified why inclusive higher education matters and allowed those newer to the field, a visualization of the what and how.
This year’s conference included the addition of an advocacy award which was established in honor of the late Debra Hart, a fierce trailblazer and advocate in the field of inclusive higher education whose impact on college options for students with intellectual disability, in Massachusetts especially, is immeasurable. That award went to me.
Receiving the Debra Hart Massachusetts Inclusive Concurrent Enrollment Inclusive Higher Education Advocate award is my greatest honor to date. Most days I’m still at a loss to capture how honored and proud I am to have received it. You see, it was during the first year of my doctoral studies in 2012 when I read a book that would forever change the trajectory of my academic and professional career, actually changing me as a person. That book was Think College: Postsecondary Education Options for Students with Intellectual Disabilities by Meg Grigal & Debra Hart. I had initially identified my research focus to be community-based secondary transition planning and it was while reading the book I found myself filled with hope and excitement, and a passion sparked.
Receiving this award was a full circle moment: being introduced to this field because of "the book" that Debra co-wrote and then having the honor of receiving an award in her name. I was beyond lucky to call Debra a mentor and friend; a person I aspired to emulate. She was so proud of the work we are all doing to shift the landscape of inclusive higher education and progress being made in Massachusetts, progress made possible because of her, the HART of inclusive higher education. Whenever I would call her this, she would laugh and say things like, “It’s not just me, we are all in this together, and how lucky am I to do what I love and have made amazing friends along the way.”
Since Deb’s passing there have been several awards to honor her legacy. Congratulations to all the recipients thus far and to the future ones! I hope awards in Debra’s honor remind us that through every interaction we have, it is our chance to carry on her legacy; and one day everybody with an intellectual disability will have the opportunity to go to college. Legacies are not always about leaving things for people, they are about leaving something in people and I can confidently say, Debra has left in me the fire to keep our movement going. I will end with a quote that Dolly Parton wrote and it applies perfectly to Debra, “If your actions create a legacy that inspires others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, then you are an excellent leader.” Debra was beyond an excellent leader who led by example with her whole heart and never stopped fighting for an authentically inclusive world, as we all shouldn’t.
About the author: Lyndsey Nunes, Ph.D., MPH, has served as the Westfield State University Inclusive Postsecondary Education (WIPSE) Director since 2013. Lyndsey is focused on systems and policy changes that result in more inclusive higher education opportunities for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Massachusetts. Lyndsey has more than 15 years of experience working with students with disabilities, ages 8-22, in a variety of settings such as public schools, private schools, home consultations, and inclusive higher education. She received her PhD in Special Education from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Masters of Science, Behavior Analysis and Masters of Science, Special Education from Simmons University, and her Masters of Public Health from University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.