The U.S. Department of Education Announces .9 Million in Awards for Students with Intellectual Disabilities
The USDE is awarding .9 million in 28 grants to fund programs that "create opportunities for students with intellectual disabilities to attend and be successful in higher education." The grants will fund Transition Programs for Students with Intellectual Disabilities (TPSID) at a number of two-year and four-year universities. The program aims to help transition students with intellectual disabilities into post-secondary education programs by focusing on academic instruction, independent living, and employment experience.
Schools that receive the grant will be able to better provide individualized support to each student, help students gain a "college experience" and interact socially with students who may not have disabilities, mentor students in academics, assist students with finding employment and ensure that job skills are reinforced.
Educators will be responsible for figuring out what helps students with disabilities transition and adapt and what doesn't in order for the programs to succeed. The grants will be funded for five years.
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan noted the goal set by President Obama- that the United States has the highest percentage of graduates in the world by 2020 and that the implementation of the Transition Programs for Students with Intellectual Disabilities, "make an important contribution toward that goal by giving students with intellectual disabilities the opportunity to receive a quality postsecondary education with the supports they need to attend, complete and succeed in higher education."
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