Making the transition from high school to college poses challenges for most students. Moving from a secure, regulated world of secondary education into an unfamiliar environment requiring greater independence can be a destabilizing experience. For students with learning disabilities (LD) and/or Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), managing this…

In this article we describe the new opportunities for postsecondary education available to students with intellectual disabilities (ID) through the Higher Education Opportunities Act of 2008. We also identify the importance of these opportunities for students with ID, and key strategies for ensuring that their college experience is an important…

This article describes the development and use of a program evaluation tool designed to support self-assessment of college-based dual enrollment transition programs serving students with intellectual disabilities between the ages of 18-21 in college settings. The authors describe the need for such an evaluation tool, outline the areas addressed by…

Balancing the need to prepare pre-service teachers with the skills necessary to effectively participate in Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) with the constraints of confidentiality as required by law has led one university to develop video scenarios that can be used as teaching tools. Three scenarios have been created, two at the secondary…

In a study conducted in 2007 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the prevalence of autism spectrum disorders in the United States is approximately 1 in 150 people. An increase has also been seen in the number of students with Asperger's Syndrome (AS) attending postsecondary education institutions. Because of the rise in numbers of…

Teacher preparation programs can play an essential role in disseminating information on children's mental health and design curricula that teach the skills necessary for promoting good mental health in schools to preservice and inservice professionals from diverse backgrounds and disciplines. The strategies presented in this article will provide…

Assessment for learning provides feedback to improve teaching and learning in the classroom. However, many teachers focus on measuring what students have learned at the end of a unit of instruction and fail to allow opportunities for feedback and revision during instruction. As Bransford, Brown, and Cocking (2000) explained, "Feedback is…

Classroom volunteers such as parents, preservice teachers, or community members often help provide support to teachers and their students as a way of giving back to their community or to meet college requirements for service learning or field experience hours. Because these visitors are often unable to be present in the class daily, it may be…

This article goes beyond the typical guidance on how to address the educational needs of students with traumatic brain injury (TBI). A survivor of TBI and his parent advocate describe real-life encounters in the education arena and offer ways to respond to the problems depicted in the situations. Their candor enhances educator awareness of the…

While graduation from high school may be common for students with learning disabilities, successful completion of a four-year degree program at the postsecondary level is not as common. This article contains the stories of the first three high school students with learning disabilities taught by the author who successfully graduated from…

Students with disabilities are increasingly enrolled in postsecondary education, yet many of them are not prepared to cope with the rigor of higher education. Students who do not have the skills of self-empowerment often experience frustration and discouragement in the postsecondary setting, leading to their dropping out of school and eventually…

When students leave high school equipped with self-advocacy and self-determination skills, they will be more likely to disclose their disability and ultimately gain access to the services they need to support their learning needs in the educational environment. Yet, many students with disabilities do not enter college equipped with the tools they…

Despite many barriers, a group of Oregon educators began to discuss ideas about how they could provide information that would build skills to improve the entry and success rate for high school students with disabilities in postsecondary education. These educators included high school, community college, and university staff. The Postsecondary…

With the overwhelming negative connotations of disability, how can people ever see disability as a natural part of human diversity, merely another bodily attribute, and one that people can frame in positive terms? In brief, how can people view disability as simply another way of being? In this article, the authors begin to address these questions…

The skills of self-determination and self-advocacy are essential for success in adult life. As educators, we want students with disabilities to participate and be significantly involved in the development and implementation of their IEPs, including involvement in IEP and transition planning meetings. By planning, preparing, and presenting an…