Check out this web site http://thinkcollege.net/ and pass on to families in the transition years and teachers at high schools

Karen Kaplan
Karensupportsu@comcast.net

The eight University Centers of Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD) that were awarded grants to support statewide strategic planning to support students with intellectual disabilities to go to college have been hard at work. Debra Hart and Cate Weir of Think College have been to the following states in March offering training and technical assistance to their efforts:

• The Florida Center for Inclusive Communities at the University of South Florida in Tampa hosted a very successful statewide meeting to kick off their statewide planning efforts.
• The Strong Center for Developmental Disabilities at the University of Rochester (NY) hosted regional meetings in Rochester and in Albany.
• The Partnership for People with Disabilities at the Virginia Commonwealth University held a strategic planning meeting for their statewide team in Richmond.
• The Center on Disability and Community Inclusion at the University of Vermont held a statewide planning summit.
• The North Dakota Center for Persons with Disabilities at the University of North Dakota Minot kicked off their statewide work. The meeting was featured that evening on the Channel 10 News in Minot.
Plans are underway for later this spring at the remaining grant-funded UCEDDs in Nevada, Mississippi, and New Mexico. “It is very exciting to see the level of enthusiasm and commitment in each of these states,” said Cate Weir, “and to begin to look forward to the increased opportunities for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities that will result.”
A Book Worth Checking Out
Think College: Postsecondary Education Options For Students with Intellectual Disabilities
By Meg Grigal and Debra Hart

Think College: Postsecondary Education Options for Students with Intellectual Disabilities seeks to uncover the bigger picture of postsecondary (PSE) options, before, during and after a successful transition to college for those students with intellectual disabilities (ID). The authors address how to understand the philosophical and practical purposes of bringing support for PSE options for individuals with ID. Three models for PSE are discussed within the book: inclusive individual support approach, the mixed hybrid approach and substantially separate options. Think College also provides suggestions in order to overcome the typical challenges these students will face within PSE and give effective person centered transition services for high school students as well as support students as they manage a positive PSE experience.

Think College seeks to address the future possibilities which lie within postsecondary education for students with intellectual disabilities. It prepares students and families for the sometimes difficult path to PSE, but illustrates through examples, case studies, research and various resources how to navigate the system and the lessons which have been learned over the years. To order, visit http://www.brookespublishing.com/store/books/grigal-69179/index.htm