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Meg Grigal Institute for Community Inclusion University of Massachusetts, Boston

Meg Grigal Institute for Community Inclusion University of Massachusetts, Boston. Postsecondary Education: The Nexus of Employment, Learning, and Life. What do you want to do after high school?. Get a job Move out Buy a car Get a boyfriend/girlfriend Go into the military.

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Meg Grigal Institute for Community Inclusion University of Massachusetts, Boston

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  1. Meg Grigal Institute for Community InclusionUniversity of Massachusetts, Boston Postsecondary Education: The Nexus of Employment, Learning, and Life.

  2. What do you want to do after high school? Get a job Move out Buy a car Get a boyfriend/girlfriend Go into the military

  3. I want to go to college

  4. Who gets to go to college? • High School diploma • Passed SATs • Good grades • Advanced placement courses • Seeking a degree

  5. Who doesn’t get to go to college? No high school diploma No SAT scores Limited academic skills Limited financial resources Not looking for a degree

  6. But what if….. You have an intellectual disability And you don’t have a high school diploma And you’re not sure about passing the placement tests You’ve never had a paid job And no one has ever said that you should think about going to college?

  7. I still want to go to college

  8. What is the experience of a high school student with ID? Little input on the classes they take Little input on the jobs they get Lots of pressure to have a plan Low expectations that they will succeed No expectations that they will go to college

  9. What did you get out of college? The RIGHT ANSWERS A degree A career To value the importance of learning

  10. What did you get out of college? Other Possible Outcomes Explore interests/expand skills Create and expand social network Discover/recreate who you are Gain independence-pay bills, laundry Manage your own time/responsibilities

  11. The REAL ANSWERS • How the system works • How to work the system And how to: A) date B) write a paper at 3am C) sneak beer into a dorm D) all of the above

  12. Other College Outcomes How to handle failure What works, what doesn’t work What you need to be successful How to access desired knowledge How to balance your life & schedule What might be the next step

  13. The Ultimate College Outcomes Being a consumer of your education instead of a passive recipient Viewing the acquisition of knowledge as a desirable experience Connecting learning to real outcomes and work opportunities

  14. National Survey Findings • 45% only adults • 26% dually enrolled • 29% served both 50% 4-year colleges/universities 40% 2-year colleges 10% Trade & Tech schools

  15. Admissions, Courses • 60% formally enrolled • 56% special entrance criteria • 75% group instruction, activities, or social events specifically for students w/ID • 53% access courses via typical registration process • 71% don’t take placement test

  16. Does your institution or program address employment job training or career preparation specifically for students with ID • 81% said yes (105) • 18 % no (23) • 1 % didn’t know

  17. Most Likely to provide job develop services • Job developer 20% • School system SPED teacher 18% • Adult services provide 13% • VR 13% • Family member • LEA job coach /transition specialist 12% • Program coordinator 12% • Job coach 4% • Career center staff1%

  18. Paid Work Individual paid work in the community • None 18% • Some 57% • Most 24% • All 1% Individual paid work on campus • None 57% • Some 39% • Most 3% • All 1%

  19. The Importance of Employment For youth with disabilities, one of the most important research findings shows that work experience during high school helps them get jobs at higher wages after they graduate.NCWD/Youth, Hot topic: Work-Based Learning, 2003 Volume 2 Secondary school students with disabilities who worked for pay outside the home in the preceding year before exit and/or have participated in a work-study program at school, have an increased chance for employment in their post school years.Changes over time in the Early Postschool Outcomes of Youth with Disabilities: A Report of Findings from the National Longitudinal Transition Study (NLTS) and the NLTS2.

  20. Some surprising information National Council on Disability (NCD) study No data that correlated VR services with increased employment outcomes for youth with disabilities Data confirmed increased success from participation in postsecondary education —The Rehabilitation Act: Outcomes for Transition Age Youth

  21. Postsecondary Education & Employment 26% more likely to exit the VR program with employment earned a 73% higher weekly income Data Set: RSA 911 —Migliore, A. & Butterworth, J., Hart, D. 2009. Postsecondary Education and Employment Outcomes for Youth with Intellectual Disabilities. Fast Facts Series, No. 1. Boston, MA: Institute for Community Inclusion

  22. Post School Goals- NLTS2 11% of students with ID attending a two or four year college or university 58% of students with other disabilities had the same goal 33% of students with ID had the goal of sheltered employment vs. 8% of students with other disabilities -Grigal, Hart, & Migliore, 2011

  23. What are key components to success? • Expectations • Resources • Opportunity

  24. Expectations Set the tone for what is possible Create parameters of opportunity Impact students’ expectations of themselves

  25. Resources Demonstrate priorities Expand options Allow for choice

  26. Opportunity Expectations + Resources = opportunities presented to students

  27. Students with Intellectual Disability Low Expectations Finite/Existing Resources Limited Opportunities

  28. Students with Intellectual Disabilities Expect them to get a job Expect them to earn money Expect them to have a bank account and pay bills Expect them to be dissatisfied when they have a crummy job Expect them to grow and change in their desires and skills

  29. Resources Provide access to career center Provide access to highly trained staff Use/prioritize funding to train staff Hold staff accountable for poor outcomes Partner with families on employment networking Help students process what’s working/not working in their current jobs

  30. Opportunities Explore possibilities on and off campus Remember employment is an not a developmental process, it is an iterative one. Do not be stymied by excessive hope Whenever possible connect employment interests to course options

  31. Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) • Enacted August 14, 2008 • Reauthorizes the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended • Model Demonstration Projects • Coordinating Center • Financial Aid access

  32. What the TPSIDS look like • 27 TPSIDs collaborating w/ 31 Institutes of Higher Education over the 5 years (N=58) • 5 Community Colleges lead applicants • 6 Community Colleges partners (N=11) • 22 four-year colleges & universities • All TPSIDs collaborating with a wide range of disability specific & generic organizations & agencies

  33. What the TPSIDs Look Like • 5 TPSIDs serve adults with ID only • 5 TPSIDs serve students with ID 18-21 years old who are still in high school • 17 TPSIDs serve both adults & students still in high school • 6 currently providing residential — more in future (N=10) • All offering career & employment services

  34. What we don’t know How future reauthorization of legislation will support or conflict with HEOA Commitment of the DOE/HHS to future funding of new initiatives Impact of existing services on K-12/Higher Education Community

  35. What we hope to learn from TPSIDs What academic, social, employment, and independent living opportunities are TPSIDs providing to students enrolled in their programs? What are the outcomes for students and how do these outcomes vary based on student or program characteristics over time?

  36. Successful Employment Means: Individually hired in a position that matches skills and interests Directly hired at a competitive wage Integrated, interesting environments Career advancement opportunities Employer commitment and involvement Customer satisfaction (employer/employee)

  37. The Promise of Postsecondary Education Students with ID will be expected to consider postsecondary education PSE will change employment outcomes, and self image and social value. Changing expectations and resources WILL change opportunities and outcomes.

  38. Postsecondary education is a most important key to shaping a new reality for people with disabilities. It has the exciting potential to create a future based not on low expectations, the cant’s and shouldn’t, but on the high expectations of productivity and personal and economic freedom. -Madeleine Will

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