Dear Readers,
Welcome to the new format of the Think College Newsletter. We hope you enjoy our new design but please note that we will still have alternate formats of each newsletter on our Web site. For PDF and MS Word versions, CLICK HERE. To subscribe or unsubscribe, scroll down to the bottom of this page. |
Capacity
Building Institute at 2009 AUCD Conference
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Partners of the Consortium for Postsecondary Education for Individuals with Developmental Disabilities will present a special Capacity Building Institute (CBI) at the 2009 Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) Conference. The institute will be held on Sunday, November 8, 2009 from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm in Washington DC. The CBI will offer participants from University Centers of Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD) strategies and resources that can
be used to support the development and implementation of postsecondary
education (PSE) options for people with developmental disabilities within their
states. Participants will learn:
-
About
the current state of the practice in PSE options for students with
developmental disabilities.
- How
UCEDDs can facilitate statewide planning with key stakeholders.
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How
funding partnerships between UCEDDs and state Developmental Disability Councils
are supporting state-level implementation of PSE options.
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Of
existing resources on best practices in postsecondary education for students
with developmental disabilities.
Presenters
at this six-hour workshop will include George Jesien, Executive Director, AUCD;
Debra Hart, Director, Education and Transition Team, ICI Boston; Meg Grigal,
Senior Research Associate, TransCen; and Cate Weir, Project Coordinator, Think
College, ICI Boston. The website for the 2009 AUCD
Annual Meeting and Conference, held in Washington D.C., November 8-11, can be
accessed at http://www.aucd.org/template/page.cfm?id=641.
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THINK
COLLEGE: the Book!
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Think College: Postsecondary Education Options for Students with Intellectual Disabilities, written by Meg Grigal, Ph.D., & Debra Hart, M.Ed., is coming soon! A comprehensive resource for education professionals and families, "Think College" is a guide to postsecondary education (PSE) options for students with intellectual disabilities. The book features vignettes and first-person narratives from students and families highlighting the benefits and challenges of PSE, as well as detailed profiles of real programs and the wide array of choices available. Grigal and Hart also provide helpful tools needed to create effective programs and ease students' transition to PSE, including a self-advocacy checklist, a program evaluation tool, sample student schedules, and a college-planning checklist for students and families. For more information about the book or to or order, visit http://www.brookespublishing.com/store/books/grigal-69179/index.htm
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Program Profile: The "Cutting-Edge" at Edgewood
College |
Edgewood College, a private liberal arts college in Madison, Wisconsin, proudly features a new program aptly named, "Cutting-Edge." The Cutting-Edge program is an individualized approach to inclusion for adult learners with significant disabilities--individuals who have either traditionally not been able to meet the standard admissions criteria for college or who require additional supports in order to be successful in college.
Cutting-Edge students typically enter Edgewood, a four-year institution, as non-degree seeking students and enroll in a set of core credit courses (a total of 5 credits each semester) that are required for all students. At the beginning of the program, students have the option of taking courses either for credit or audit. If students choose to become degree-seeking students, they then are required to take courses for credit. The process of inclusion for Cutting-Edge students is facilitated by the Director of the program and by peer mentors who are paired with the students in academic and social situations. The positive attitude and energy of the peer mentors is key to the encouragement the Cutting-Edge students receive. The program also uses Resident Hall Peer Mentors--students who are living in the dorms and are responsible for assisting the Cutting-Edge students with problem-solving, connecting students to social activities, and helping them develop new relationships.
Dedra Hafner, Director of the Cutting-Edge program, says, "The Cutting-Edge students are doing some amazing things. What they're doing on campus has grown incrementally. The students are great because they're so demanding, so into doing and being a part of what everyone else on campus is doing. They are really the ones driving the options and the choices we make." Hafner added, "One of the parents from our parent group said, 'It's all about inclusion. Not, there are some things you have to be over there on the side with. No, it needs to be everyone doing things all together.'" For more information on Cutting-Edge, see http://www.innovationsnow.net/
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Resources You Can Use:
Midwest Explorer Newsletter
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The Midwest Explorer is a quarterly newsletter of the Midwest Alliance, headquartered at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The Midwest Alliance provides opportunities for students with disabilities in Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin to explore academic and career possibilities in the sciences, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Funded by the National Science Foundation, its aim is to increase the number of students with disabilities entering and succeeding in these fields. This summer's newsletter is available here: http://stemmidwest.org/downloads/Newsletters/Summer_09/MA_news_su09.pdf
Visit the Midwest Alliance website at http://www.stemmidwest.org
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Resources You Can Use:
Disabilityinfo.gov |
DisabilityInfo.gov is an online resource which provides people with disabilities access to disability-related information and programs available across the government on numerous subjects, including benefits, civil rights, community life, education, employment, housing, health, technology, and transportation. DisabilityInfo.gov is managed by the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) in partnership with 21 other federal agencies. Its Education section offers information on educational programs and resources available throughout the federal government, including Individualized Education Programs, college opportunities, school-to-work transition, tools for educators and parent resources. The sub-section on Higher Education includes information and resources on financial aid and scholarships and preparation for postsecondary education. Visit http://www.disabilityinfo.gov/ to learn more.
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