Policies and Practices

This document lists over a dozen videos, presentations and documents that explain various aspects of COVID-19 in plain language.  Links and a brief description of each resource is provided.  The list was compiled by Think College in August 2020.

As Inclusive Postsecondary Education (IPSE) programs are discussed at institutions of higher education, administrators often bring concerns to the table regarding safety of the students with ID/DD. Sometimes these concerns are related to lack of knowledge of the population, but having a plan for the safety and security of students using on-campus support systems can be helpful. This session will discuss the importance of collaboration between IPSE program staff and the Risk Management Office, as well as key strategies for risk management and prevention.

Example of a form that a parent can sign to documnt that they claim their son/daughter as a dependent on their federal tax return, thereby providing them with view elements of their child's educational record.

Example of a form that a college would ask a student to sign in order to release educational records to their parents.

This chapter in Think College! Postsecondary Education Options for Students with Intellectual Disabilities provides the reader with a description of the most relevant current federal legislation and initiatives that support or have the potential to support access to PSE for individuals with ID and, it is hoped, promote greater utilization of these options. Systems-change efforts in New Jersey, South Carolina, and Massachusetts are also discussed, as are recommendations for policy, practices, and systems change.

Few students with disabilities from high-poverty backgrounds attend college. We discuss the effects of disability and growing up in poverty on expectations for postsecondary education attendance. We describe the limiting effects of attending high-poverty high schools on student achievement followed by challenges faced by low-income students with disabilities in accessing and completing college programs including the role of federal student aid programs.

Forces including legislation, policy, standards-based educational reforms, and changing economic and social conditions have dramatically altered the conversation and practices around postsecondary transition. This article traces the development of postsecondary transition as it is reflected in the professional literature and federal legislation since 1975.