To create inclusive campuses, the use of peer mentors is integral in providing supports to students with intellectual disability (ID). This guide will provide institutions of higher education (IHEs) a model of how to support students with ID in academic and social settings. Strategies for recruitment, retention, and training of peer mentors are offered.
Questions remain about how best to support the involvement of students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) in all aspects of campus life—both within and beyond the college classroom. Although program staff and faculty can be critical, the need for more natural sources of support must also be emphasized. Fellow college students can play a variety of roles in supporting students with intellectual disability to access a wide range of campus experiences, including classes, student organizations, volunteer experiences, residential life, work, and spending time with friends.
This Fast Fact, based on a research study which is being presented at the Spring 2019 Research Summit, examines the inclusive higher education programs offered in Australia with a focus on one: the Up The Hill Project (UPTP). Researchers conducted interviews with students in UPTP and peer mentors, specifically looking at the topics of inclusive practices, working towards and achieving goals, mentoring experience, and development of skills. Results of the research study are featured in this publication.
This video series can be used as part of a comprehensive peer mentor training program. The videos were designed to provide strategies for peers providing academic support, and were developed by Megan Goldfarb, when she served as an academic coach for the Virginia Commonwealth University ACE-IT program.
This webinar introduced an open video resource developed for Think College by a student at Virginia Commonwealth University who supports students with intellectual disability in their classes. The video series shares tips and strategies that other students can use as peer supports or mentors.
This online Research Summit from February 2017 focused on the topic of mentoring and peer relationships among students with and without intellectual disabilities. The presenters were Cindi May, Ph.D., from College of Charleston and Brian Freedman, Ph.D. & Laura Eisenman, Ph.D. from University of Delaware.
College programs for students with intellectual disability frequently engage peer mentors to promote students' social connections on campus. The qualitative study discussed in this article was conducted to explore, from mentors' perspectives, how mentor/mentee relationships developed, how mentors offered supports, and how mentors facilitated membership into the campus community. Using Pawson's (2004) conceptual framework, mentoring relationships were analyzed in regard to status, reference group, and mentoring mechanisms.
Peer mentoring is a well-established tool for supporting college students, and it often yields strong benefits (Budge, 2006; Colvin & Ashman, 2010). Much of the research to date has examined characteristics of mentors or mechanisms to support mentees. Little of that research focuses on the use of peer mentoring for college students with intellectual disabilities (ID).
Although peer-mentoring relationships are critical to including youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities in postsecondary educational settings, little is known about the motivations and experiences of peer mentors. To investigate, we conducted a mixed-methods study in which 17 volunteer peer mentors completed the Volunteer Functions Inventory (VFI) and participated in interviews about their motivations and experiences.
