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Why College? We Asked Grace...
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 Besides my classes, I've
learned some things about myself at college like learning how to be organized.
I also learned that to get a successful job you need an education. I've learned
more about myself too. I've learned how to be more aware. I learned more about
who I am as a person. I've learned how to be an independent and responsible
person and I'm also learning to be more focused. |
Think College Actively Providing Training and Technical
Assistance
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This volume of
the Think College newsletter highlights one of the three primary focus areas of
the Think College effort-Training and Technical Assistance. Think College staff has been traveling the
country working collaboratively to assist state and international leaders
through a facilitated dialogue and strategic thinking process focused on
postsecondary education for individuals with intellectual/developmental
disabilities.
The next opportunity for you to participate is at the national
conference of the Association for Higher Education and Disability in July. See Below for the specifics.
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Capacity Building Seminar Preconference Opportunity at the AHEAD
Conference
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Full-Day Institute on Tuesday, July 13th 9:00 am-5:30 pm
Emerging Populations: Students with Intellectual Disabilities on
Campus
Presenters include: Cate Weir, Debra Hart, and Molly Boyle, all
from the Institute for Community Inclusion, University of Massachusetts,
Boston, and Meg Grigal, TransCen., Inc.
As changes to the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 encourage
colleges and universities to develop initiatives that offer postsecondary
education opportunities to students with intellectual disabilities, Disability
Services providers find that their work is impacted, as students with
intellectual disabilities begin to have a larger presence on their campuses.
This session is designed as an interactive presentation and discussion of the
issues that arise when students with intellectual disabilities attend college.
The day-long session will allow participants to understand the current climate
as it relates to the inclusion of students with intellectual disabilities in
college and university, to hear from colleagues who are successfully including
students with intellectual disabilities in college, and to learn about key best
practices that they can use on their own campus, including Universal Course
Design tools that they can provide to their faculty. Opportunities for small
group discussion and strategic planning will be included throughout the day. http://www.ahead.org/conferences/2010/registrationinfo
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Illinois Gains
Momentum through Post-secondary Education Summit
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On March 3rd, 2010, about 100 postsecondary education presidents,
provosts, and transition planning leaders gathered at the Illinois governor's
mansion for the governor's "Post-Secondary Education Summit - Positioning
Illinois for Federal Demonstration Grants". The Summit resulted from a roundtable
process initiated by the Illinois Council on Developmental Disabilities with
state leaders from the Community College Board, the Board of Higher Education,
the State Board of Education and the Department of Human Services Division of
Rehabilitation Services.
The intent of the Summit was to inspire and educate state
leaders on the Higher Education Act (HEA) and the vision to provide inclusive
post-secondary experiences. Speakers at the event included Stephanie Lee, Debra
Hart, Dr. Jerry Petroff, Associate Professor at The College of New Jersey, and Kari
Winter, a student in a program at Elmhurst College. Throughout the day, attendees were able to
network with peers and meet the roundtable members representing statewide
agencies offering support in developing new opportunities. More will be coming
from Illinois soon as they continue their efforts to develop strategies to open
inclusive programs throughout the state.
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Hey Students!
Check This Out.....Student Blogs on the Think College Web Site
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Are you interested
in hearing from students who are talking about college and preparing for life
after high school? Visit the Think College Student section to see new
information and resources including http://thinkcollege.net/for-students/student-blogs. Bloggers include: Daniela Goldstone who started a blog
to document her journey to independence and Micah Fialka-Feldman, a student,
speaker, and pioneer who continues to fight for disability-pride, justice, and
inclusion in his post-secondary education program.
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The 2010 Joshua
O'Neill and Zeshan Tabani Enrichment Fund Application Is Now Available
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The Joshua O'Neill and Zeshan Tabani Enrichment Fund offers
financial assistance to young adults (18+) with Down syndrome who wish to
continue to enrich their lives by enrolling in postsecondary programs or taking
enrichment classes that will help them to enrich life through employment,
independent living skills, life skills or another way. To date, over thirty students have received
grants from NDSS to help cover the costs of pursuing their postsecondary
education and enrichment goals.
Visit http://www.ndss.org to
download the application, or contact Vanessa Quick at vquick@ndss.org or
800-221-4602 with any questions.
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"Strong Moms, Strong
Kids!" Capacity Building Institute in Hawai'i
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Voluntarily
foregoing the beckoning Waikiki sun and surf for a day, 79 participants
attended a Capacity Building Institute entitled "Transition to Postsecondary
Education for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities and Autism"
co-hosted and sponsored by Think College, the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa - Center on Disability Studies, and the
Students with Disabilities as Diverse Learners Project. The CBI held on April
14, 2010, provided participants from Australia, Kazakhstan, Guam, West
Indies, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Hawai'i, and the U.S.
mainland opportunities to collaborate and network with other educators,
students, parents, and service providers. The institute's presentations and
workgroups focused on supporting students with intellectual disabilities and
Autism in their transitions, and the development and implementation of
inclusive postsecondary education options for these students.
The title of this article, "Strong Moms, Strong Kids" is
borrowed from a comment made by a CBI participant and reflects a theme of the
daylong session. Participants were treated to the informative and inspiring
stories of two families. Rida Ching spoke of her family's journey of
discovery and advocacy and her hopes and dreams for her 18-year old son
Matthew, who is on the Autism spectrum, as he exits high school and enters
adulthood. Paulette Apostolides (pictured here with Katie) shared her perspective as a parent working to
support the postsecondary ambitions and achievements of her daughter Katie.
The highlight of the institute was Katie Apostolides (no
longer a "kid" but now a young woman) who charmed and inspired the crowd with
her own postsecondary education story. The younger Apostolides documented her
attainment of an Associate of Science degree with a focus in American Sign
Language (ASL), and shared her experiences as a college student and graduate
with ID. Katie closed the CBI by interpreting "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz in
ASL with confidence and joy. |
Think College
Institute in North Dakota
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Seventy participants from across North Dakota came together to
learn about post-secondary experiences for students with intellectual and
developmental disabilities on March 30, 2010. A self-advocate and her mom started off the
day followed by Debra Hart and Cate Weir sharing information on best practices
and national data on post-secondary experiences.
In the afternoon, participants worked in teams to identify both
values and barriers for post-secondary experiences in ND. Each team consisted
of a ND Think College steering committee member, a family member/advocate, a
DD service provider, a VR Counselor, a Benefits Planner or MIG project staff
member, a secondary special educator or administrator, and a representative
from a post-secondary institution.
After prioritization of values and barriers, the participants
identified tasks needed to overcome barriers to post-secondary access by
persons with ID and formed work groups to address these challenges. Work
group reports will be the foundation of the Steering Committee's draft
strategic plan. The draft will be disseminated to the Institute participants
with invitations to attend the Think College Summit in September, where the
report will be finalized before submission to the North Dakota University
System Chancellor and Board.
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Capacity Building
Institute in Nashville
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The Vanderbilt Kennedy Center hosted a Capacity Building
Institute in Nashville co-sponsored by Think College, the Tennessee Council
on Developmental Disabilities and the Tennessee Task Force on Postsecondary
Education for Students with Intellectual Disabilities on Monday, April 19.
The session was attended by teams from five Tennessee colleges and
universities and also representatives from Mississippi, Illinois, Georgia,
North Carolina and Arkansas.
Debra Hart and Megan Grigal provided information and resources to the
group about postsecondary developments and the impact of the Higher Education
Opportunity Act. Wanda Willis, Executive Director of the Tennessee Council on
Developmental Disabilities, shared with the group about the Council's
collaboration with Tennessee initiatives in postsecondary education. The
Tennessee Council provided travel stipends for the Tennessee college and university
teams to attend. Those teams will present action plans to the May 27 meeting of
the Tennessee Task Force. |
Think College holds Planning Summit in Reno
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Nevada, a Think College mini-grant recipient, held its strategic
planning summit in Reno on April 28.
Approximately 50 people attended from across the state. Among the
stakeholders attending included: the state administrator for Vocational
Rehabilitation and her area managers, the administrator for Developmental
Services and representatives from each of the regional centers, representatives
from most of the universities and community colleges, as well as special education
and transition directors from many of the state's school districts and
organizations that provide services to people with Intellectual
Disabilities/Developmental Disabilities. In addition, the assistant
vice-chancellor for the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) attended the
entire day and pledged support from the NSHE and the Chancellor. Parents and People First were also
well-represented.
The summit resulted in the identification of long- and
short-term goals, action steps, and who would be responsible for each step. One
of the first steps is to establish an ongoing coalition to track the progress
of the project and to apply for the upcoming federal model demonstration grant.
The Nevada Center for Excellence in Disabilities (NCED) expects to hold
regional meetings to expand support for the project over the next few
months.
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Reflections and
Thanks
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Micah Fialka-Feldman's parents recently sent in a letter to the
Oakland Post, which gives thanks to all those who supported Micah in his
journey to being a student in the dorms at Oakland University.
"His life has been forever changed for the better because of the
openness, kindness, and interest demonstrated on a daily basis from so many
people on campus...Whether it be students who studied with him, instructors who
encouraged him to learn, student organizations who welcomed him, leadership
opportunities in which he was included, rallies which supported him, and
friends who hung out with him . . . in all these typical everyday ways, Micah
was part of a community. He wanted to go
to college and he did, in the fullest of ways."
To read the full article visit: http://oaklandpostonline.com/2010/04/13/perspectives/letter-to-the-editor-micahs-parents-give-thanks/
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Upcoming Events
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Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD) Conference
and Preconference Institutes
July 12-17, 2010
Denver, CO
http://www.ahead.org/conferences/2010/exhibit
Celebrating 20 Years of the ADA
July 20, 2010
Washington, DC
http://jfactivist.typepad.com/jfactivist/2010/03/join-us-in-celebrating-20-years-of-the-ada.html
2010 Closing the Gap Conference
October 21, 2010 to
October 23, 2010 in Bloomington, Minnesota
http://www.closingthegap.com/conference/
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