Announcements and Coming Events
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Think College Capacity Building Institute
In association with the
Annual Meeting of the Association of University Centers on
Disabilities
Sunday, November 8, 2009
The Renaissance Hotel, Washington, DC
This
Capacity Building Institute will offer UCEDDs strategies and resources that can
be used to support the development and implementation of postsecondary
education options for people with developmental disabilities within their
states. Participants in this day-long
training will be eligible to receive a $15,000 mini-grant to support statewide
planning or development/implementation of a PSE initiative in their state,
through a competitive RFP process.
Participants
will:
1. Learn how UCEDDs can facilitate
statewide planning with key stakeholders as an invaluable first step in
planning for PSE initiatives.
2. Learn about the current state of the
practice in PSE options for students with developmental disabilities through
examination of the results of a national survey conducted in Spring 2009.
3. Learn how funding partnerships between
UCEDDs and state Developmental Disability Councils are supporting state-level implementation
of PSE options.
4. Gain an awareness of existing resources
on best practices in postsecondary education for students with developmental
disabilities.
5. Receive information on how to apply for
available mini-grants that will support development or implementation of a PSE
initiative in their state.
Contact
Cate Weir at Cathryn.weir@umb.edu for
more information.
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Annual TASH Conference and TASH Tech Workshops
The TASH Conference is the largest conference in the United States that focuses on strategies for achieving full inclusion for people with disabilities. The TASH TECH workshops will feature a presentation from Think College staff. The conference and workshops are November 18-20. Visit http://www.tash.org/2009tash/index.htm for more information.
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Program Profile
ICE
Partnership Program at Holyoke Community College
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The Inclusive Concurrent Enrollment (ICE) program at Holyoke
Community College (HCC), funded by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary
and Secondary Education, creates partnerships with neighboring public school
districts to offer access to post-secondary education for 18-22 year olds with
intellectual disabilities. ICE at HCC serves 20 students from seven districts, with each district using a
high school liaison who attends monthly partnership meetings and coordinates
student transportation and educational coaches for the students. The coach accompanies students to classes and
campus activities. ICE students receive academic and advising support from
the college, as well as free tuition, fees, textbooks, and materials.
When a district chooses their students to participate in ICE,
the ICE Learning Specialist facilitates a person-centered-planning session with
the student and others that are invited. The document created from this session
reflects the interests, career goals and dreams of the student and from this, HCC staff later help the
student choose their classes. When students first arrive at campus, they meet
with the Director of the Office for Students with Disabilities, who helps them
develop an Education Plan. That plan, along with a letter of introduction, is
given to professors when students start class.
ICE students enroll in classes that do not require prerequisites and
that reflect their interests, sometimes for credit and sometimes for
audit. On days they do not have class,
students are generally working at work, at an internship, or volunteering.
The name of the game for ICE students at Holyoke is total
integration. Carla Katz, coordinator of the program, says she laughs when
people call and ask to come and observe the program. She says they had better
wear their sneakers because they will be running all over campus. That is, ICE
students are just like other students fully involved in campus life: attending
classes, joining clubs, attending all-campus activities, eating or hanging out
at the Student Life Center, or working out at the Athletic Center.
For information about HCC's ICE program, contact Carla Katz at ckatz@hcc.mass.edu.
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Resources You Can Use
Going
to College: A Resource for Teens with Disabilities |
Going to College is a Web resource focused on
college life for students with a disability. It was made for high school
students and can help with a head start in planning for college. There are
three main modules: My Place, Campus Life, and Planning for College. Each module contains useful information,
videos and podcasts of students and professors, planning tips, activities, and
a list of e-resources. There is also a
Teacher's Toolbox for each section.
For example, one of the sub-topics in Campus
Life is "Faculty Expectations." The
section starts out with a podcast and transcript from a college professor
talking about what professors generally expect: students using the syllabus,
showing up for class and taking notes, keeping up with class reading, etc.
There is additional printed information on what a syllabus is, how to ask
the professor for information, and what respectful class behavior is. There are
also hints about how to get to know faculty members. E-Sources in this section
include a copy of a real class syllabus with helpful side notes, a top-ten list
of a real professor's pet peeves, and a site about email etiquette. Other
sub-topics in Campus Life include discovering the differences between high
school and college life, getting accommodations, disclosing a disability, and
finding resources on and off campus.
Each module (My Place, Campus Life, and Planning for College) has a
checklist of activities to complete and file for later reference. When an
activity is completed, a copy can be placed in the e-Portfolio provided on the
site. The Portfolio is tabbed and will
organize and collect key documents for use in college and beyond. The portfolio
can be taken to talk with a college adviser or the person in charge of
accommodations at a prospective college. You can access Going to College on the
homepage of Think College or at: http://www.going-to-college.org/
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Publications We Like
From
the National Center on Secondary Education and Transition (NCSET) |
Parenting Postsecondary
Students with Disabilities: Becoming the Mentor, Advocate, and Guide Your Young
Adult Needs (March 2002) This
brief focuses on the importance of involving parents in the transition from
high school to the post-secondary environment, and provides concrete
recommendations to help parents learn to mentor and advocate for their
post-secondary youth. Includes parent resources and references. Spanish version
also available. http://www.ncset.org/publications/viewdesc.asp?id=208
Person-Centered
Planning: A Tool for Transition (February 2004) This
brief provides a concise description of person-centered planning, an
explanation of the benefits of this process, action steps for implementing
person-centered planning, references within IDEA that support the process, and
a list of additional resources. Spanish version also available. http://www.ncset.org/publications/viewdesc.asp?id=1431
Providing a Quality
Accommodated Experience in Preparation for and During Post-secondary School (March 2002) This brief clarifies the difference between
meeting minimal standards for accommodation in postsecondary school and
providing a quality educational experience including accommodations. It
includes a case example to illustrate the challenges youth with disabilities
face without appropriate accommodations, and additional resources.
http://www.ncset.org/publications/viewdesc.asp?id=198
Self-Determination:
Supporting Successful Transition (April 2003) This
brief outlines research on self-determination--research which suggests that
youth with disabilities who actively direct their own lives are more likely to
successfully transition into adult life. The brief also addresses development of
self-determination skills and student-led IEP meetings and provides
descriptions of and contact information for several self-determination
curricula and helpful web links.
http://www.ncset.org/publications/viewdesc.asp?id=962
Transition
Services for Students Aged 18-21 with Intellectual Disabilities in College and
Community Settings: Models and Implications of Success
(December 2006) This brief provides an overview of some successful
models of transition services being implemented in postsecondary settings,
describes one such model being implemented by the Baltimore City Public School
System in three local colleges, and presents some of the implications and
strategies for success of this model.
http://www.ncset.org/publications/viewdesc.asp?id=3395
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Resources You Can Use
E&E-Equity
and Excellence in Higher Education: Universal Course Design |
This Web site has been designed for faculty, by faculty, and
offers the strategies and tools of Universal Course Design (UCD) to increase
access for all students, including those with disabilities. E&E is the
result of a 3-year federal grant funded by the Office of Postsecondary
Education, designed to ensure that students with disabilities receive a quality
higher education through refinement, implementation, evaluation, and
dissemination of the UCD model of professional development for college faculty,
administrators, and support personnel.
UCD was developed by the Institute for Community Inclusion at
the University of Massachusetts/Boston, in partnership with the Institute on
Disability at the University of New Hampshire. E&E's two main goals are
to increase the awareness of UCD at each of 5 model demonstration sites and to
build a UCD Web site for faculty use in redesigning their courses.
The Web site has user-friendly modules that present various strategies and
tools for faculty learning and use. The UCD syllabi module contains a tip sheet
to help with designing accessible syllabi and an audiovisual presentation on
how to create a UCD syllabus. There are numerous tutorials about UCD designs
for course features such as optimally accessible PowerPoint presentations,
using captions for UCD videos, culturally diverse texts, how to create a course
goals matrix, taking into account diverse learning styles, and much more. The
module on UCD strategies highlights over 100 different instructional strategies
that faculty have used to diversify their instruction so that all learners have
access to the course. There are modules on UCD tools, resources, and examples
that the E&E project's 5 participating model demonstration sites have
incorporated into their courses. You can find the E&E UCD website linked
on the Think College homepage or at: http://www.eeonline.org/
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Programs that Support Postsecondary Access
Transition
to College |
The Transition to College website, sponsored by the
Postsecondary Education Research Center (PERC), is a source of
information for those developing, implementing, and
improving programs to support post-secondary opportunities for students with
intellectual disabilities. The program development module helps to create a
clear vision of a program mission and goals, and strategies to communicate
those goals to partners. Topics range from, "Who should be a part of the
planning team?" to "How do you approach a college to partner with?"
Implementation strategies covered will help to maintain and sustain a program,
as stakeholders continually assess and restructure with each new challenge.
Program Improvement guidance assists in building in evaluation from the start,
offering solutions for important issues, such as how to be responsive to
student needs and how program instructors can better partner with college
entities.
Resources available on the website include online tools such as
the PERC Postsecondary Program Evaluation tool and a Needs Assessment Online Training
Module that can be used to evaluate the educational services received by
transition aged youth with significant disabilities. There is also a training
module that provides guidance on developing an Individual Support Model (ISM),
providing students with individualized services and supports. There are program
tools available, such as a sample of measurable program goals and a sample
protocol for interviewing new student candidates. There are also job
development tools: a sample employment
proposal, an employability skills checklist, and many more.
For those interested in information about
transition programs and services in the states of Connecticut and Maryland, the
Transition to College website provides complete lists of individual programs,
state agencies, and organizations. The Transition to College website can be
accessed at: http://www.transitiontocollege.net/index.html or via the Think
College home page, http://www.thinkcollege.net/
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