What is it about?
Higher education institutions that value diversity, equity, and inclusion must provide programs that address the needs of diverse students, including those with special needs. Several publications address the benefits of universities offering programs for individuals with intellectual disabilities. However, in this article, my colleagues and I filled a gap in the literature by presenting the case of the inception and implementation processes of a university program for individuals with intellectual disabilities at a Southwest Florida university. It highlights the importance of support from the university administration and having a synergetic group of team members who utilized their expertise and passion for special education in creating this program.
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Why is it important?
This is the first publication that addresses the processes of designing and implementing a university program for individuals with intellectual disabilities. University leaders, administrators, faculty, and staff can learn from this case to implement similar programs at their institutions.
Perspectives
Writing this article was a humbling experience as I did not have previous experiences working with special education to learn from such an inspiring team about the importance of creating the first program to serve individuals with intellectual disabilities in Southwest Florida. Besides this publication and participating as a graduate assistant in the grant associated with the creation of this program, my colleagues and I presented this paper at a regional and at one international conference.
Clarisse Halpern
Florida Gulf Coast University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: The Soaring Eagle Academy: the Inception of a Comprehensive Post-Secondary Transition Program for Individuals with Intellectual Disability in Southwest Florida, Journal of Disability Studies in Education, November 2022, De Gruyter,
DOI: 10.1163/25888803-bja10018.
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