Postsecondary education programs for students with an intellectual disability: facilitators and barriers to...

Area of Science:

• Disability Studies
• Higher Education Administration
• Inclusion and Accessibility

Background:

• Increasing financial, legislative, and philosophical support has led to a rise in postsecondary education (PSE) programs for individuals with intellectual disability.
• New program directors often lack research-based guidelines for integrating these programs within higher education institutions (HEIs).

Purpose of the Study:

• To survey administrators of PSE programs for individuals with intellectual disability across the U.S.
• To identify perceived supports and barriers during program development.
• To investigate changes in supports/barriers over time and by program type.

Main Methods:

• Survey of administrators of PSE programs for individuals with intellectual disability nationwide.
• Analysis of perceived supports and barriers during program development.
• Investigation of temporal changes and variations by program type.

Main Results:

• Most perceived barriers and supports improved over time, with funding being a notable exception.
• Perceived support from six of nine identified higher education institution (HEI) collaborative partners showed significant change from program inception to the present.

Conclusions:

• While program integration shows positive trends, ongoing challenges, particularly funding, require attention.
• Institutional collaboration is crucial, but its perceived effectiveness can evolve significantly over time.