Families often think that college is not an option for students with intellectual disabilities. But today, there are a growing number of colleges offering inclusive higher education options.
Here & Now’s Deepa Fernandes learns more with Cate Weir, a program director at Think College, part of the Institute for Community Inclusion at the University of Massachusetts Boston.
The Educating All Learners Alliance (EALA) is dedicated to support for students with disabilities and learning differences. In the EALA podcast, host and EALA founder Aurora Dreager discusses the work of the EALA partner organizations, big changes in education policy, and popular topics in special education.
ThinkUDL is a podcast about Universal Design for Learning where they converse with the people who are designing and implementing strategies in post-secondary settings with learner variability in mind. Host Lillian Nave, discovers not just WHAT her guests are teaching, learning, guiding and facilitating, but HOW they design and implement it, and WHY it even matters.
ThinkUDL is a podcast about Universal Design for Learning where they converse with the people who are designing and implementing strategies in post-secondary settings with learner variability in mind. Host Lillian Nave, discovers not just WHAT her guests are teaching, learning, guiding and facilitating, but HOW they design and implement it, and WHY it even matters.
Higher education was not always considered a realistic goal for people with intellectual disability. Legislation, advocacy, and research have led to new perspectives and increased opportunities for postsecondary education (Grigal et al., 2021).
This Think College Snapshot captures data as of August 2025 on specific markers of higher education programs for students with intellectual disabilities, including the number that are designated as Comprehensive Transition and Postsecondary (CTP) programs, which states have higher education consortia, the number of programs that have been awarded TPSID funding, which states have passed legislation related to higher education for students with intellectual disability, and more.
As we develop and evaluate postsecondary education programs for students with intellectual disability, we must consider students’ perspectives on known program elements that work well and elements that need improvement. To support the consideration of student voices in program development and evaluation, the Think College Inclusive Higher Education Network conducted a brief literature review of articles that included the voices and perspectives of college students or college graduates with intellectual disability.
The IMPCCT Consortium developed a new film showcasing the North Dakota college programs for students with intellectual disability. IMPCCT currently has programs at Minot State, Bismarck State, and Dakota College at Bottineau, and is committed to expanding inclusive college opportunities for students with intellectual disability. For more information, visit ndcpd.org/north-dakota-impcct
This article from the Chronicle of Higher Education, written by Think College's Cate Weir, shares advice with institutions of higher education on how and why to establish programs for students with intellectual disability.
There is one easy way to share your message. Write why you believe college is important for people with intellectual disability using our sign!
There are 2 ways to get the sign. You can download and print a PowerPoint slide or an image. Just follow these directions.
Using the PowerPoint slide instructions
