Program Development

In this Insight Brief, the authors present a five component model of student-directed learning for use by college programs to teach and track student specific college and career academic, social, and independence, skills without segregated courses.

College has the potential to be an opportunity for enormous growth in the lives of all students. How can college programs for students with intellectual disability promote this growth? By supporting students to set and work toward meaningful college and career goals and gain related experiences.

All inclusive postsecondary education (IPSE) programs are "housed" in a particular department, school, institute, or other administrative center on a college or university campus. This decision is unique to each institution and IPSE program. This publication shares the locations of current programs based on a survey and data from Transition and Postsecondary Education Programs for Students with Intellectual Disability (TPSID) projects. 

One important aspect of program development is to create a program budget reflecting anticipated expenses and program income.  These proforma budget examples are provided to assist programs in developing their own budget. Examples for both a university program and a community college program have been provided by IN: Pathways to Inclusive Higher Education (Colorado), and LeadLearnLive (Oklahoma) provides a university example. 

Significant advancements resulting from various legislative and grant initiatives have resulted in increases in higher education programs enrolling students with intellectual disability (ID). Information about program practices in admissions, academic access, employment, campus housing, and extracurricular activities was gathered via a national survey and offered to the public via a searchable directory.

Postsecondary education programs for students with intellectual disability have a variety of names. The name of a program sets the tone for families and students, and other key supporters, of what to expect from that program. The authors sought to address a lack of guidance on considerations for naming a postsecondary education program for students with intellectual disability by first analyzing the names of existing programs for common words and themes. Using data from the Think College programs directory, the authors coded the words and themes in 310 program names.

In this Insight Brief, we explain Memoranda of Understanding (MOU). An MOU is used to describe an agreement between parties; it outlines each party’s roles and responsibilities and helps to avoid confusion and miscommunication. They are used in inclusive postsecondary education to define relationships between the institution of higher education, employers, school districts, and other relevant parties. This publication describes the core components of MOU, their usage within a college program for students with intellectual disability, and their advantages and disadvantages.

The College Matters Florida Promising Practices series is a collection of stories that showcase innovation in promoting postsecondary education for students with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities in Florida. 

#1 Implementing an Inclusive Transition Club that Promotes Postsecondary Education for Youth with Intellectual and/or Developmental Disabilities: Lessons Learned from Wakulla High School

#2 Using a Closed Facebook Group to Engage Families in Discussions about Postsecondary Education: Lessons Learned from the Parent Support Network

This channel features video resources and recorded webinars on topics related to postsecondary education for students with intellectual disability, produced by Think College National Coordinating Center. Topics include academic support, credentials, campus housing, family engagement, program development, and more.