ACCESS POINT: Professors Jessica Bacon and Susan Baglieri (Co-founders of the IAC) and IAC fellows posing in front of University Hall; "A college education strives to prepare students with experiences, skills, and knowledge, for employment upon graduation. Through a liberal arts-based curriculum and personcentered planning, CGES will seek to support students in identifying an academic focus aligned to career interests."

Historically, access to post-secondary education has been denied to many individuals with significant disabilities. Those who have a wide range of support needs, including adults with intellectual disabilities (ID), are especially underrepresented and underserved in colleges and universities. Many institutions of higher education across the United States have responded to this disparity by creating supportive opportunities and pathways for people with ID to attend college.

Although inclusive postsecondary education (IPSE) programs vary widely across the United States, most create opportunities for students with ID to participate in various aspects of college life. Often, IPSE students enroll in a college or university, either as part of a transition program or after graduating from school. Once enrolled, students typically participate in all aspects of university life, including: auditing or taking for credit academic courses, pursuing employment internship or externship opportunities, and engaging in recreational and social activities on campuses. Some programs extend the opportunity for students to live on campus in college dormitories amongst traditionally-enrolled peers. A typical hallmark of IPSE programs is to promote belonging and integration through peer-supported models, which create opportunities for students with intellectual disabilities and their sameaged, traditionally enrolled peers, to engage in college life together within a mutually supported framework.

GROWTH OF INCLUSIVE POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES IN THE UNITED STATES

IPSE models have been around for decades, but concerted policy efforts have occurred over the past 15 years, with a goal to establish a national model for the growth of IPSE opportunity.

The passage of the Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) of 2008 concretized a federal commitment to IPSE, when it incorporated a financial aid pathway for students with intellectual disabili

ties enrolled in an approved college program (ed.gov). In 2010, the Transition and Postsecondary Programs for Students with Intellectual Disabilities (TPSID) federal grant program was initiated. Over three, five-year grant cycles, the US Department of Education has awarded funding to 126 institutions of higher learning in 34 states (Think College, 2023). The TIPSID initiative also led to the establishment of Think College (thinkcollege.net). It is a national coordinating center that provides support, coordination, and training for postsecondary education institutions that have created formal opportunities for people with developmental and intellectual disabilities to partake in higher education. As of 2023, Think College identifies 324 programs in 49 states (thinkcollege.net/college- search). Providing opportunities for young adults with disabilities to participate in college programs and learn on college campuses is a clear initiative of the US Department of Education and the higher education landscape.

WHY IS IPSE AN IMPORTANT MOVEMENT?

Despite overwhelming research indicating the benefits of inclusive education for all students with disabilities (e.g. Cosier, et al., 2013) only 17.9 percent of students with ID labels are included for 80% or more of their day (OSEP, 2022). IPSE programming creates opportunities for students with ID labels to learn about advanced subjects that they may not have had exposure to during their K-12 education, and to do so in a natural environment alongside same-aged peers. College is a time for many early adults to learn new