Inclusive Post-secondary Education Pilot Programs

The target population of this grant college-age individuals with Intellectual and/or Developmental Disabilities (I/DD) This program is designed is to increase the inclusive postsecondary education (IPSE) programs on six CSU campuses (Long Beach, Northridge, San Francisco, San Marco, San Jose, and East Bay). IPSE programs integrate education, vocational training, independent living, and employment. They dramatically improve employment outcomes for people with I/DD, with 51-96% of graduates of IPSEs in competitive integrated employment (CIE; Avellone et al., 2021) compared to less than 2% of people in I/DD in CA (State Council on Developmental Disabilities, 2015). Despite the success of these programs, our state lags behind others in offering IPSEs at four-year universities and the few existing programs receive far more applications than spaces available, demonstrating high interest and the need to increase program capacity. If funded this project will establish IPSE at theses 6 CSUs to provide academic, social and employment opportunities to individuals with I/DD to prepare them for CIE. Once the six programs are started, project personnel will seek funding opportunities from Department of Rehabilitation and Regional Centers to sustain the programs past the 18-month pilot phase. The pilot programs will: 1. Enroll students with I/DD in college courses. 2. Provide students with I/DD in person-centered employment planning. 3. Provide supports and services for students with I/DD's academic, social and workforce inclusion including workshops on a variety of topics (financial literacy, technology, nutrition, etc.) and matriculated college students who will act as peer mentors. 4. Provide inclusive academic enrichment, socialization, independent living skills, career exploration, work experience and competitive integrated employment. 5. Establish strategies to recruit and support students from historically underserved communities. The pilots will allow more individuals with I/DD to have the skills and confidence for CIE