This legislation, enacted in July 2022, includes provisions that remove barriers precluding persons with intellectual disabilties (ID) and autism from participating in state colleges and universities.
Introduced several times since 2018, but not passed, this legislation removes several obstacles to enrollment in inclusive postsecondary education and expands inclusive higher education opportunities throughout Massachusetts. Specifically, Massachusetts students with intellectual and developmental disabilities would no longer have to do the following to take part in inclusive undergraduate courses:
This report presents the findings of the Massacusetts Task Force on Higher Education for Students with Intellectual Disabilities and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ID/ASD), convened by the House and Senate Co-Chairs of the Joint Committee on Higher Education. The report describes higher education opportunities for students with ID/ASD nationally and statewide, and includes specific findings and recommendations to increase access to inclusive higher education and ensure citizens with ID/ASD have equal opportunity to reach their potential.
This bill, passed in 2016, states that the Massachusetts Executive Office of Education must develop and administer a discretionary grant program to fund partnerships between public higher education institutions and school committees that create inclusive concurrent enrollment program options for students with IDD aged 18-21. The Executive Office of Education was charged with producing a report on the programs in question by December 2017.
