New RIC program designed for young adults with intellectual disabilities

Posted 7/26/16

Rhode Island College is offering a new Certificate of Undergraduate Study in College and Career Attainment to support students with intellectual disabilities. Candidates must have completed high school and wish to prepare themselves for adult life,

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New RIC program designed for young adults with intellectual disabilities

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Rhode Island College is offering a new Certificate of Undergraduate Study in College and Career Attainment to support students with intellectual disabilities. Candidates must have completed high school and wish to prepare themselves for adult life, including employment.

"This program represents an exciting and powerful collaboration among RIC's Paul V. Sherlock Center on Disabilities, the Disability Services Center and the Feinstein School of Education and Human Development's Special Education Department that has the potential for making positive and significant differences in the lives of Rhode Island youth with intellectual disabilities and their families," said Don Halquist, dean of RIC's Feinstein School of Education and Human Development.

In 2013 the U.S. Department of Justice noted the critical need in Rhode Island for transition to postsecondary education for individuals with intellectual disabilities. Rhode Island data reported that only "3 percent of respondents with intellectual disabilities were enrolled in higher education and only 20 percent were employed a year after completing high school." According to the U.S. Department of Justice, this puts intellectually disabled youth "at serious risk of entering segregated sheltered workshops or facility-based day programs in violation of Title II of the ADA."

In 2015 Rhode Island College won a competitive $387,000-a-year grant from the U.S. Department of Education to establish a comprehensive transition to postsecondary (CTP) program to support students with intellectual disabilities. Although several higher education institutions in New England applied, including the University of Rhode Island, RIC was chosen due to its quality of project design and institutional expertise in the areas of inclusive education. There are currently no colleges or universities in Rhode Island that offer a CTP program.

Halquist explained that the Certificate of Undergraduate Study in College and Career Attainment, developed by RIC Professors of Special Education Susan Dell and Anthony Antosh, "provides opportunities for Rhode Island students with intellectual disabilities to explore vocations, gain skills for competitive employment, build relationships with academic and vocational mentors, engage in a community-based work experience and develop skills related to person-centered planning and self-determination."

To be admitted to the program, applicants must have completed high school and must have documentation of their intellectual disability. In addition, two letters of recommendation, a personal statement and an interview with the program's admission team is required. Ten young adults (18 and over) will be admitted each year.

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