Briefs

• What is Inclusive Higher Education for People with Intellectual Disabilities, and How Does it Connect to Vocational Rehabilitation? A Primer for VR Leaders and Practitioners
  By: Meg Grigal and Barry Whaley
  PDF | WORD

Fast Facts

• Vocational Rehabilitation Partnerships with Higher Education Programs Serving Students with Intellectual Disability
  By: Meg Grigal, Ph.D. and Frank Smith, M.A.
  PDF | WORD

• Characteristics of Students that Attended Transition and Postsecondary Programs for Students with Intellectual Disability (TPSIDs) by VR Partnership Status
  By: By: Frank Smith, Meg Grigal and John Shepard
  PDF | WORD

It is likely that state vocational rehabilitation programs will see substantial increases in the number of youth with intellectual disability and autism not only seeking VR services, but also seeking VR support for access to higher education as a path toward employment in the coming years. Because of the importance of the state VR agencies as a source of finding and support for transitioning youth, a better understanding of the VR program’s role in promoting postsecondary education as a path toward employment is critical for professionals and policymakers to determine which postsecondary education options should be available to youth with ID, autism, and other disabilities. There are two phases to this study. Phase I is a mixed method approach to determine: 1) the frequency of interaction and role played by VR agencies in supporting students with intellectual disability/autism (ID/A) to access inclusive higher education as a path to employment and if these differ by IHE characteristics; and 2) the relationship between the frequency and type of VR involvement and student outcomes (credential attainment, course access, career development activity engagement, employment rate during program and at exit). The purpose of Phase II is to provide in depth program descriptions as well as highlight effective VR strategies and promising practices evident across the IHE programs that have established effective partnerships with VR, documenting the types of agreements, services, and practices that are being used to support the employment outcomes of individuals with ID and autism in the context of a higher education program.

Phase 1

• RQ 1 – What is the frequency of interaction and role of VR agencies partnering with IHEs serving students with ID/A? Do these differ based on the characteristics of the IHE or program (type of college, length of program, level of course access, and types of supports provided)?
• RQ 2 – What partnership attributes (role of VR, frequency of interaction, type of college) between TPSID programs and VR agencies are related to positive outcomes for students (for example, attainment of a postsecondary credential; employment; independent living)?

Phase 2

• RQ 3 – How are TPSID programs partnering with VR agencies to support the employment outcomes of individuals with ID and autism?
• RQ 4 – How is the TPSID-VR relationship established and maintained?
• RQ 5 – What financial, logistical, and case management supports can VR provide to TPSID programs and students to advance employment outcomes?
• RQ 6 – How do TPSID/VR partnerships enhance supports and outcomes for individuals with ID/A?

Phase 1 of this study uses a convenience sample of 2000+ students with intellectual disability and autism served in one of the 27 projects in 23 states participating in the Office of Postsecondary Education funded Transition Postsecondary Programs for Students with Intellectual Disability (TPSID) model demonstration projects from 2010 through 2015. Phase 2 will include 3-5 institutions of higher education serving students with ID/A and partnering with a state VR agency.

The proposed mixed-methods study will be comprised of Phase 1, a secondary analyses of an existing national data set (TPSID evaluation data) and Phase 2, an in-depth case study of existing partnerships between IHEs and VR.

Phase 1

There are no data collection activities required in Phase 1. A descriptive analysis will conducted to identify the frequency of engagement and the role or roles played by VR as a partner to the programs serving students with ID/A. Bivariate analyses will be conducted to determine if program partnerships with VR differ based upon the IHE characteristics such as type of IHE (two-year or four-year), length of program, and inclusiveness of program (level of integration with typical peers) also will be used, depending on the level of measurement of the variables. Additionally, univariate and multivariate analysis will be used to examine the potential relationships between programs’ characteristics, particularly as they relate to partnerships with VR, and student outcomes. This analysis will provide us with a better understanding of the type of VR involvement and its impact on student outcomes relative, and in addition, to other program inputs.

Phase 2

From our analyses of Phase 1 data, we will identify three to five IHEs that have strong track records of collaboration with VR, to get in-depth information through observations and interviews to generate a theory of what works in collaboration between VR and higher education. We will use the following criteria to identify the 3-5 IHEs to participate in the case study research: (1) active partnership with SVRA, (2) frequent interaction with VR, (3) specific instrumental roles for VR in the TPSID, and (4) substantial contribute of VR resources to the TPSID. The case studies will rely on two main sources of data: (1) semi-structured key informant interviews, and (2) document review. Project staff will conduct one two- to three-day site visit at each of the three to five case study locations. Data analyses for the case study data will be done via qualitative research software program. The key data analysis activities will include assigning data “families,” coding, and memo writing. Our analysis will allow us to generate overarching findings or themes across cases, as well as descriptions of the individual cases.