Vocational rehabilitation (VR) and higher education programs for individuals with intellectual disability have similar goals: preparation for and access to paid employment for people with disabilities. To expand higher education access and improve employment outcomes for individuals with intellectual disability, VR personnel and higher education program staff need to establish partnerships. At present, partnerships between VR and higher education programs for students with intellectual disability differ in every state in the country, and sometimes differ within states as well.
In this series, we profile states where there is an effective partnership between VR and higher education for students with intellectual disability. The profiles include a description of the VR-higher education partnership, strategies used to implement the partnership, and innovative practices used to support higher education for students with intellectual disability in the state. These examples can provide a model or guide for other states as they work to establish a partnership between VR and higher education.
The first two resources in this series include profiles on Oklahoma and Colorado.
The profiles were developed by the Employment Partnerships Collaborative Workgroup, a project of the Think College Inclusive Higher Education Network. The Workgroup was tasked with identifying and addressing policy and practice barriers to build capacity for stronger collaboration by developing resources to raise awareness, highlight promising practices, and replicate successful employment partnership activities.
If you are in a state where the partnership between VR and higher education needs improvement, you may also find it useful to review recommendations from VR on how to partner effectively: State Vocational Rehabilitation Leaders' Perspectives on Partnering with Higher Education Programs for Students with Intellectual Disability.
Want to see your state partnership profiled here? Get in touch with us at thinkcollegeIHEN@umb.edu.