May 2022: News and Updates

Dear Reader,

Welcome to the second issue of the Think College Inclusive Higher Education Network's monthly newsletter, Network News. This newsletter features updates from the Think College Network as well as news from the field, including upcoming events and opportunities related to inclusive postsecondary education (IPSE) across the US.

photo of three college students sitting at a table interacting

The Think College Inclusive Higher Education Network is a national technical assistance and dissemination center focused on expanding inclusive postsecondary education (IPSE) for students with intellectual disability. This project raises public awareness about IPSE opportunities, translates research to practice through training and technical assistance development, and creates collaborative workgroups to address existing gaps in services. By further developing regional infrastructure, the Think College Network also creates localized, customizable technical assistance and supports to IPSE program staff, families, students, and transition professionals. Our objective is to support improved access, engagement, and outcomes for students with ID in colleges and universities across the US.

News from the Network

Meet our newest team member: Arin Rook, Knowledge Translation Associate

Arin is a knowledge translation associate for the Think College Network where they manage the development of the project's products and dissemination efforts. Prior to joining ICI, Arin worked as the coordinator of campus-wide diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) training efforts at the University of California, Riverside. Arin is incredibly passionate about digital accessibility, Disability Justice, and helping to build a culture of belonging and inclusion for everyone in higher education.

Public Awareness Campaign Update

The Think College Network’s Public Awareness Team, led by Dan Habib, convened a series of virtual focus groups in February and March to gather perspectives and input for a new national public awareness campaign on IPSE for students with intellectual disability. The focus groups included college administrators, IPSE program directors, and faculty, as well as secondary principals, transition specialists, and administrators. These stakeholders represent the target audiences for the initial phases of the campaign. The team has also received input from public relations professionals who have led dozens of social impact campaigns. Stay tuned for more updates on this emerging campaign!

Have you seen the original public awareness materials from Think College?

Think College created a series of short (30 second) videos with students in Massachusetts to build public awareness of college as an option for all students, including students with intellectual or developmental disabilities.

Check out the short film,

Rethinking College, which was produced by Think College to explore the growing movement to include students with intellectual disability in higher education.

Expanding CTE and Employment Opportunities via Collaborative Workgroups

The Career and Technical Education (CTE) and Employment Partnerships collaborative workgroups hosted their first Zoom meetings in April. Both workgroups have thoughtfully recruited representatives from a range of national and state organizations and practitioners who are collaborating to gather information to address barriers and create resources to support increased CTE opportunities and strengthen pathways to employment for college students with intellectual disability.

Interested in becoming involved in a collaborative workgroup?

STATE & REGIONAL ALLIANCES

Creating a Network of Alliances

One of the objectives of the Think College Network is to create a network of state and regional alliances across the country. The existing regional alliances, the Southeast Postsecondary Education Alliance (SEPSEA) and the Midwest Post-secondary Education Alliance (MIPSA), are collaborating with the Think College Network to provide technical assistance to new regional alliances. We will be hosting our first capacity-building institute for budding state and regional alliances at the 2022 SEPSEA Conference in Auburn, AL. This is open to all who are interested in creating and growing regional and state alliances.

If you’d like more information please email Susanna Miller-Raines at susanna.millerraines@umb.edu.

SEPSEA Scholarship

In 2021, the SEPSEA Board of Directors started a scholarship fund for students attending IPSE programs in the Southeast. SEPSEA is now launching fundraising efforts for the scholarship fund! The first fundraising activity will be a silent auction held during the 2022 SEPSEA Conferenc e in Auburn, AL. Guidelines, requirements and applications for the SEPSEA Scholarship Fund will be launched in 2023. Email southeastpse@gmail.com for more information.

State Alliances: We want to hear from you

We would love to highlight the work of state alliances in our newsletter every month.

If you have a contribution from your state alliance, please email it to susanna.millerraines@umb.edu.

NEWS FROM OTHER THINK COLLEGE PROJECTS

National Coordinating Center

The Annual Report of the Cohort 3 TPSID Model Demonstration Projects (Year 1, 2020–2021) is now available!

This report is the culmination of the collection and analysis of data from the Transition and Postsecondary Programs for Students with Intellectual Disability (TPSID) model demonstration sites around the country. There is information on the programs, students, as well as strategic partnerships and sustainability.

In addition to the Annual Report, there is an Executive Summary available as well as a brief Highlights document. All documents are linked on this resource page.

Screenshot_Annual Review Highlights pub.png

Are you ready? We’re ready!!

#IPSEDAY2022 is

May 15, 2022

Inclusive Postsecondary Education (IPSE) Day, or #IPSEDay, is a day to raise awareness about college options for students with ID. We have created a website with information, graphics, and sample texts. You can use the information from our webpage or you can come up with your own sayings, slogans, and information, just get your pictures ready. Get your stories and quotes ready. Get your statistics and data ready. Then on May 15, share it on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIN, YouTube or any other channel using #IPSEDay or #IPSEDay2022!

Check out the IPSE Day webpage with all you need to know about #IPSEDay2022 and read Susanna’s blog “IPSE Gets Its Day!”

NEWS FROM THE FIELD

We want to hear from you!

Please email us with any news (events, updates, announcements, employment opportunities) to be featured in an upcoming issue of the Network News.

My Disability Roadmap

Dan Habib, who is leading the Network’s Public Awareness Campaign, is also co-directing a new, short documentary with his son Samuel Habib titled “My Disability Roadmap.” The film follows Samuel, a young man with complex disabilities, as he navigates the path to work, college, and relationships while seeking out wisdom from disability activists across the country.

The film had its world premiere at the Oscar-qualifying Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival on May 1 and will be streaming In the New York Times Op-Docs series mid-May. For more information, see www.mydisabilityroadmap.com.

Impact: Feature Issue on Inclusive Higher Education for People with Intellectual, Developmental, and Other Disabilities

The latest issue of Impact focused on inclusive higher education. Our very own Meg Grigal and Susanna Miller-Raines were guest editors along with Beth Myers from Syracuse University and David Johnson from the University of Minnesota. In this issue there are stories from current students and alumni, national overviews of practice and policy, program descriptions, and information about emerging issues like accreditation and equity. Our new Think College Inclusive Higher Education Network is also described. Impact is a magazine published three times a year by the Institute on Community Integration at the University of Minnesota.

Research

Florida Atlantic University’s Academy for Community Inclusion published a new issue of The Brady Bulletin - CTP Trends : Navigating College, Employment, Community, and Independent Living by Bridging the Research to Practitioners. This is a research bulletin for programs that serve college students with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

If you read an article that you think might be helpful to others by including it in future bulletins, please contact the Managing Editor for more information.

Do you have a research recruitment announcement you would like us to share in our newsletter? Submit your request using this form.

Employment Opportunities

Visit the Think College employment opportunities webpage for current IPSE-related job openings across the country.

Have a position opening? Email us the job title and a link to the job description and application and we will post it.

Here are a few recently posted opportunities:

Southeast Postsecondary Education Alliance (SEPSEA) is hiring a part-time executive director
Nevada Center for Excellence in Disabilities at the University of Nevada, Reno is hiring an academic project coordinator for the Path to Independence (P2I) Program
Cutting Edge at Edgewood College is hiring an Independent Living & Employment coordinator
Life and Career Studies at Lakeland University is hiring a coordinator

The Think College Network will have a job series posting for technical assistance coordinator coming soon!

Please check the University of Massachusetts Boston's careers website for details.

Photos from the Network

Susanna Miller-Raines, Alliances Manager and Claire Bible from ReThinking College at the Central Wisconsin Down Syndrome Summit on College Options for young adults with Down syndrome in Stevens Point, WI.

Got great photos? We would love to feature them!

Submit your photos using this form.