UC s Students With Intellectual Disabilities Present at National Forum
Students in the University of Cincinnatis
Transition and Access Program (TAP)
took center stage when they presented on their experiences in TAP at a national education conference.
A team of TAP students was also involved in planning the 37th annual Teacher Education Division (TED) of the Council for Exceptional Children Conference that was held Nov. 5-8 in Indianapolis. The conference drew college professors of education and special education, as well as K-12 teachers in special education.
This is the first time ever that the organization has recruited students with intellectual disabilities to help run the program, says TAP Director Heidi Brett Mendez, a UC adjunct professor of education.
TAP a UC partnership developed through the support of the UC College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services (CECH) and the Mayerson Foundation is a non-degree, four-year program for students with mild to moderate intellectual disabilities that provides opportunities to engage in the college experience. The program meets post-secondary higher education standards.
The conference program development, website development and conference planning was done in coordination with the students in UCs TAP program. The chair of the conference also is a UC alumna. Christy Borders, an assistant professor of special education at Illinois State University, earned her doctorate in special education from UC in 2009.
I think the TAP program is very cutting-edge and sets a wonderful example of college programs for students with intellectual disabilities, says Borders. TAP is an exceptional program that not only raises disability awareness but also shows what people with disabilities can do, rather than closing the doors of higher education to students seeking these opportunities. Were hoping that through TAP, our conference attendees will gain that same insight and energy that we see at UC, and bring that inspiration back to their home institutions to create more programs like TAP.
We highlighted the three domains of the program: the academic, vocational aspects and independent living, and then our students presented on their personal experiences in being a part of the program, says Mendez.
UCs four TAP students who participated in the conference are all third-year students. In addition to taking part in the presentation, they staffed the welcome desk, assisted with conference registration and interacted with attendees at an exhibitor table. The students also supported the development of conference materials.
Participating TAP students are:
Karly Saek
s of Blue Ash, a graduate of Sycamore High School
Walter Bo Broadnax
of Wyoming, Ohio, a graduate of The Childrens Home of Cincinnati Broadnax designed the nametags for the conference and added the scannable QR codes that provide the participants names, email information and university representation.
Etap Shata
of West Chester, a graduate of Lakota West High School
Benjamin Minney
of Milford, a graduate of Milford High School
Students in TAP develop their independence while learning study skills, basic computing, time management, financial management and career/professional development. The program holds classes five days a week with two non-college credit TAP classes; UC courses that can be taken as an audit course through TAP (which allows class participation with UCs general student population); UC courses that can be taken for TAP credit; or selected courses for college credit. Students are also required to gain experience through internships.
Last summer, I had a couple of internships, says Broadnax. One was at an advertising company where I edited video, and I also worked at an IT company that supported computers in medical offices.
Living in the TAP House has taught me so much, says Saeks, who shares a room with three other TAP students. Ive had to learn how to organize all of my things and keep my room neat.
Ive also enjoyed taking classes with other (general population) UC students, says Saeks. I like fitting in at UC.
TAP started on campus in 2012 and opened the
. Mendez says 28 TAP students are now living in the house. They represent 24 different school districts, six states (Ohio, Indiana, California, Colorado, Missouri and Tennessee) and two countries, including the U.S. and Nigeria. Program staff includes two graduate assistants (GAs) and three resident assistants (RAs) who are special education and speech language majors, plus two other UC students.
National Demand Grows for Programs Like TAP
Debra Hart, director of education and transition for the Institute for Community and Inclusion at University of Massachusetts, Boston, has been tracking programs like TAP on college campuses since the early 2000s. She is also principal investigator for the Think College National Coordinating Center, a national organization dedicated to developing, expanding and improving inclusive higher education options for people with intellectual disabilities.
Hart says the trend started in 2008 as a result of the Higher Education Opportunities Act. For the very first time, the act included students with intellectual disabilities, made students with intellectual disabilities eligible for federal financial aid and included guidelines for what a quality program would look like, says Hart.
Hart says the Higher Education Opportunities Act also included provisions for a model demonstration program and a national coordinating center, now at Think College. These programs were awarded to 27 grantees across 23 states in 2010, Hart says. Presently, the number of programs overall has grown to 226 and will no doubt continue to grow, as more families find out about these exciting new higher education opportunities.
When you consider an inclusive environment for this student population, the next logical step after high school is to go to work or go to college or have a little of both, and these programs demonstrate those possibilities, says Hart.
TED and the the Council for Exceptional Children
The Teacher Education Division (TED) is one of 17 special interest groups of the Council for Exceptional Children, which is the largest international professional organization dedicated to improving educational outcomes for individuals with exceptionalities, including students with disabilities and those identified as gifted.
UCs College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services
TAP is a program under UCs
College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services (CECH)
. The college has been dedicated to excellence in teaching for more than a century. In addition to preparing students to work in diverse communities, the college provides continual professional development and fosters education leadership at the local, state, national and international levels.
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