With more inclusive postsecondary education (IPSE) programs across the country and increased awareness that college is possible for students with intellectual disabilities (ID), the demand for program development support is on the rise. Starting an IPSE program involves considering various factors, from establishing the need to ensuring sustainability. It's a significant undertaking, requiring large-scale campus and community collaboration, programming and resource development, and budgeting that takes many hours to accomplish.
In response to the demand, the team at Think College recognized the need for more guidance and concrete examples across all stages of program development and is currently creating an e-learning course to support the development of IPSE programs. This course will provide learners with access to a thorough program development approach that:
- Organizes and summarizes the foundational concepts from the field
- Helps learners answer key questions that need to be addressed
- Provides examples and resources needed for each phase of programming
- Offers advice from those who have navigated the process successfully
We are excited to announce that our asynchronous Program Development course is slated to be released in Fall 2025 and will be free for all users.
Have you developed a program? Consider sharing your lessons learned or tips with us so that we can include them in the Program Development course. Please reach out to our team at thinkcollegeTA@umb.edu. Not only will you be helping others, but you will also get recognition for the wonderful things your program is doing for IPSE.
Need program development resources right now? Be sure to review two recently released guides which provide extensive guidance, strategies, and problem-solving information to ease the path for newcomers who are working to increase access for students with ID.
Developing a College Program for Students with Intellectual Disability (Freeman et al., 2022) provide an overview of the program development process
A Planning Guide for New Inclusive Programs and Initiatives Serving College Students with Intellectual Disabilities (May, 2023) provides a detailed approach to developing a program.
Finally, be sure to visit the Program Development resource page, which includes carefully selected resources and helpful frequently asked questions. You can also view all of the resources on Program Development using the topic filter in our Resource Library. This is a great starting point for those exploring program development.
Still have questions? You can always get support from our technical assistance team by emailing us at thinkcollegeTA@umb.edu.