College Student NOS
Colleges nationwide are developing programs for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. One such program is the Career and Community Studies program at The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) in Ewing, NJ. The goal of the program is to “to create a model program that would ‘mainstream’ students with developmental disabilities into college campuses around the country,” an article in today’s Star-Ledger reports. The students take large freshman courses with the rest of the student body, as well as smaller courses designed for them on such topics as health, finances, and technology. Aides and student mentors assist them in navigating the campus and completing school work; all of the students live at home and most are driven by their parents to school. Tuition is about $20,000 per year.
Eunice Kennedy Shriver, honorary chairperson of the Special Olympics, visited the TCNJ program last month and said:
“You’re not just talking about changing one thing here. You’re changing things in major ways for real human beings.”
A database of some 100 colleges that have programs for students with intellectual disabilities can be found at ThinkCollege.net. Students in these programs receive a certificate to show they have finished a two- or four-year college program, rather than a traditional degree. Whether these programs—which provide students with the opportunity to articipate in internships and work-study positions—will assist a student in getting a job after college has yet to be determined. Critics claim that these programs are primarily designed ” to make parents feel better, instead of focusing on what is the best environment for the students.”
As a college professor and the mother of an autistic son, my thought is that a little neurodiversity on college campuses can go a long way.
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