The next SEPSEA Advocacy Group meeting will be held (on ZOOM) on Wednesday, September 25 from *3:30-4:30 Eastern Time (*2:30-3:30 Central Time).
The Southeast Postsecondary Education Alliance (SEPSEA) is an organization promoting access to quality inclusive postsecondary education for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities across the region.
This online Advocacy Group is a space for students and alums of Inclusive Postsecondary Education (IPSE) programs to connect and share about their college experiences.
During this meeting, we will hear from a few graduates and students from the College and Career Studies program at the University of Kentucky about ways they are connecting with their community. Afterward, we would love to hear from everyone else about ways you connect with your community.
We hope you will join us for this conversation!
For more information about this group, or to get the zoom link for this meeting, please contact Erin Fitzgerald at Erin.Fitzgerald@uky.edu.
Presenters: Rachel Adams-Duffy, Allison Hall, Sheila Johnson, UMass Boston
Celebrate National Disability Employment Awareness Month with Think College!
Join us for a webinar about how internships can help students find their career path. Hear from former Think College intern Rachel Adams-Duffy as she shares her journey from student to professional advocate. Then, get insights from the internship site’s perspective on working with students with intellectual disability and how inclusive college programs provide the support needed for successful internships.
*This webinar is designed so students can attend the first 25 minutes to hear Rachel’s story without needing to stay for the full hour.
Western Kentucky University’s application to the US Dept of Ed to establish a CTP has been approved. WKU’s program is the 6th Comprehensive Transition Program that has been approved in the Commonwealth.
Kentucky has a rich history in its commitment to inclusive spaces in post-secondary education. Over the last twenty years, multiple projects and initiatives have supported students with developmental disabilities as they engage in post-secondary education. The timeline below highlights some of the work that has gone into supporting students with their educational goals.
2005
Postsecondary Opportunities Workgroup (POW) is launched by families, young adults with intellectual disabilities, and Kentucky organizations.
2008
Postsecondary Inclusion Partnership PIP begins a three-year grant funded by the Commonwealth Council on Developmental Disabilities.
2010
The University of Kentucky Human Development Institute is awarded a five-year $2.1 million federal grant Supported Higher Education Project, SHEP.
2011
A pilot between SHEP and the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation provides support services on college campuses around Kentucky.
2012
SHEP staff and students with intellectual disabilities present to the Kentucky Legislative Subcommittee on Postsecondary Education.
A group from Murray State University, led by a parent advocate, expresses interest in starting a program on campus.
Representative Carl Rollins attends the POW meeting and hears concerns that SHEP students cannot utilize Kentucky Educational Excellence Scholarship Program money.
2013
Kentucky’s first U.S. Department of Education approved Comprehensive Transition and Postsecondary (CTP) program was established at Murray State University.
Kentucky Legislature unanimously passes a bill to allow students with alternate diplomas to access their KEES money.
2014
Bluegrass Community & Technical College Comprehensive Transition Program (CTP) program approved.
SHEP, POW, and stakeholders explore expansion and sustainability options.
Spalding University Comprehensive Transition Program (CTP) program approved.
2015
Northern Kentucky University Comprehensive Transition Program (CTP) program approved.
2016
Partnerships in Employment State Systems Change grant.
Legislative action to increase KEES funding available to students with intellectual disabilities enrolled in Kentucky CTP programs.
2019
Inclusive Higher Education Webinar series.
2020
Kentucky State Budget addresses Supported Higher Education.
2021
Kentucky Supported Higher Education Partnership.
2022
University of Kentucky Comprehensive Transition Program (CTP) program approved.
Legislative action expands the Work Ready Kentucky Scholarship to include students with ID enrolled in Kentucky CTP programs.
2023
Owensboro Community and Technical College Comprehensive Transition Program (CTP) program approved.
2024
Western Kentucky University Comprehensive Transition program approved.
Kentucky Comprehensive Transition and Postsecondary Programs for Students with Intellectual Disabilities
Program Brief for Educators
As Educators, our job is not just to get students to graduation, but to prepare them for life after they leave high school. For some students with intellectual disabilities, that may include enrollment in one of Kentucky’s Comprehensive Transition and Postsecondary programs. Jason E. Glass, Ed.D., Kentucky Education Commissioner
In Kentucky, there are increasingly more higher education options for students with Intellectual Disabilities (ID). This brief is intended to assist educators in supporting students with ID in pursuing their postsecondary education and employment goals.
CTPs were created by the Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA, 2008). They support students with ID who want to continue academic, career or technical instruction in higher education to better prepare for competitive integrated employment and independent living. CTPs:
utilize person-centered planning to help students identify and explore career goals, which may include paid work and non-paid work-based experiences
facilitate the social and academic integration of students on a college campus
provide support to navigate all elements of college life, including admissions, coursework, work experiences, and extracurricular activities.
CTP Program Eligibility
Students enrolled in an approved CTP must have a documented ID, as defined by the HEOA.
Student Financial Assistance
Student Financial Assistance:
Students with ID enrolled in an approved CTP can access federal financial aid for which they qualify and state financial aid from the Kentucky Educational Excellence Scholarship (KEES), Work Ready Kentucky Scholarship, and College Access Program Grant programs, if eligible. Students and families can contact the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority (KHEAA) at (800) 928-8926 or visit kheaa.com for help with the financial aid process.
As Admissions and Release Committees develop measurable postsecondary goals in the areas of education/ training, employment, and, if applicable, independent living, members may wish to consider:
Is enrollment in higher education a desired goal for the student, including, if appropriate, enrollment in a CTP? If so, what transition services might the student need to achieve their goal?
Do the student’s IEP goals align, as appropriate, with interests identified in their Individual Learning Plan, the employment goal as stated in their Individualized Plan for Employment (if eligible for VR services), Pre-employment Transition Services the student may be receiving, etc.?
Is the student eligible or potentially eligible for Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) services?
How can LEA and VR staff increase collaboration and coordination to support the student’s postsecondary employment goal(s)?
What are some ways the LEA can increase the awareness and understanding of students and families about higher education options for students with ID, such as CTP programs?
CTP Program Brief: Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Professionals
Kentucky Comprehensive Transition and Postsecondary Programs for Students with Intellectual Disabilities
Program Brief for Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Professionals
As vocational rehabilitation professionals, our job is to empower individuals with disabilities to maximize their employment, achieve economic self-sufficiency and independence, and contribute to society. This includes doing all that we can to support the success of eligible consumers with intellectual disabilities enrolled in Kentucky Comprehensive Transition and Postsecondary Programs. Cora McNabb, Executive Director, Kentucky Office of Vocational Rehabilitation
CTPs were created by the Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA, 2008). They support students with Intellectual Disabilities (ID) who want to continue academic, career, or technical instruction in higher education to better prepare for competitive integrated employment and independent living. CTPs:
utilize person-centered planning to help students identify and explore career goals, which may include paid work and non-paid work-based experiences
facilitate the social and academic integration of students on a college campus
provide support to navigate all elements of college life, including admissions, coursework, work experiences, and extracurricular activities
CTP Program Eligibility
Students enrolled in an approved CTP must have a documented ID, as defined by the HEOA.
Student Financial Assistance
Student Financial Assistance:
Students with ID enrolled in an approved CTP can access federal financial aid for which they qualify and state financial aid from the Kentucky Educational Excellence Scholarship (KEES), Work Ready Kentucky Scholarship, and College Access Program Grant programs, if eligible. Students and families can contact the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority (KHEAA) at (800) 928-8926 or visit kheaa.com for help with the financial aid process.
VR’s mission includes supporting eligible students with ID in obtaining competitive integrated employment and attending inclusive higher education programs such as CTPs.
A national study of over 9,400 transition age, supported employees with ID served by vocational rehabilitation found that individuals who had completed at least some postsecondary education were more likely to be employed, work more hours, earn more per hour, and were employed in a greater range of vocations (Cimera et al., 2018).
Another study found that 64% of students with ID who had attended an inclusive higher education program were employed one year after college exit (Grigal et al., 2019).
Postsecondary education is also associated with increased capacity for growth in independent skills, including increased soft skills and self-determination practice, and with satisfying social lives (Grigal et al., 2021).
What VR Professionals May Wish to Consider
As VR Professionals and stakeholders work with eligible and potentially eligible students with ID, they may wish to consider:
Would attending a CTP support the student’s employment goal on the IPE?
How can VR and local education agency staff increase collaboration and coordination to support the student’s CTP participation?
How can VR professionals support student engagement in vocationally relevant services and activities while attending a CTP, in preparation for competitive integrated employment?
What are ways VR professionals can inform students and families about higher education options such as CTP programs?
How can VR professionals and CTP staff better coordinate opportunities and services for eligible consumers?
Cimera, R., Thoma, C., Whittenburg, H., & Rohl, A. (2018). Is getting a postsecondary education a good investment for supported employees with intellectual disability and taxpayers? Inclusion, 6 (2), 97- 109.
Grigal, M., Hart, D., Papay, C., Smith, F., Domin, D. & Lazo, R. (2019). Year Four Annual Report of the TPSID Model Demonstration Projects (2018–2019). Boston, MA: University of Massachusetts Boston, Institute for Community Inclusion.
Grigal, M., Dukes,L.L., Walker, Z. (2021). Advancing Access to Higher Education for Students with Intellectual Disability in the United States. Disabilities. 2021; 1(4):438-449.
In Episode 1, Johnny Collett (HDI Deputy Director) and Erin Fitzgerald (CTP Coordinator) discuss inclusive higher education programs that support students with education and career goals.
Promoting access to quality inclusive postsecondary education for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities through a shared focus on collaboration through program development, resources, research, and public policy in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina & beyond!
