June 2022: News & Updates
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With input from our new staff members and excitement from our more established team members, we redesigned ThinkCollege.net's homepage to better show off our goods. Among our favorite new features are a running list of latest additions to the resource library, quick links to your favorite resource by topic page, tabs to easily see what is happening in your state, and view project specific information and resources.
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Paying for College resources
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Students in the spotlight: the Think College Policy Advocates!
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On June 6 and 7, Shelby Bates and Sara Pound joined Think College Policy Advocate teams and our partners at AUCD in Washington, DC to raise awareness and advocate for postsecondary opportunities for students with ID. Ten teams of program staff and students participated in training focused on disability policy and advocacy before heading to Capitol Hill! Teams met with members of Congress and/or their staff where students shared about their college experience, their college program, and how decisions at the state and federal level can impact the lives of people with ID.
Photo left to right: Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Evan Henniger (recent graduate from Washington State University), Shelby Bates (Think College staff) and Kelley Wilds (program staff Washington State University ROAR program)
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Want information on establishing a mentoring program?
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NCC Accreditation Workgroup
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Recently, Cate Weir and Martha Mock enjoyed discussing accreditation with transition professionals at the spring DCDT conference in Myrtle Beach, SC. In addition, the NCC Accreditation Workgroup met earlier this month to determine the criteria for the programs who will be piloting the accreditation process starting Fall 2022.
Many thanks to Workgroup member, Stephan Smith, director of AHEAD, who provided leadership to the subgroup, and thanks to the following workgroup members for their time and efforts on the pilot criteria sub-group: Drew Andrews, Carol Britton Laws, Michelle Mitchell, Tracy Rand, and Terri Shelton. The main purpose of piloting the accreditation process is to work with established programs who have graduated at least two cohorts of students. The selected programs will participate as a learning partner and will complete the draft accreditation process to ensure that the process is sound and the guidance provided is clear. Learn more about accreditation and the Workgroup.
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Project Advisory Committee
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What’s the PAC and who’s a part of it?
We recently asked PAC member Catherine Fowler (left), co-director the National Technical Assistance Center on Transition: The Collaborative (NTACT:C), a couple questions about her thoughts on collaborating with Think College and our resources.
What would you like to see from your partnership with Think College?
Catherine: While there is crossover in our broad audiences, NTACT:C primarily provides technical assistance to state education agency and state vocational rehabilitation agency staff, focused on services for transition-age students and youth. Think College primarily serves programs in colleges serving young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Because there are different regulations that govern the activities of our primary stakeholders there can be tensions between those worlds at times. It seems the partnership between NTACT:C and Think College could help bridge the gap between those audiences and support finding solutions in spaces where policies, procedures, and terminology are barriers to the common outcomes our audiences seek.
What’s your favorite Think College resource?
Catherine: As co-director of NTACT:C, I’ve found the data highlights and executive summary from the annual reports helpful to work I need to do. However, the resources we regularly direct our audience members to include the Rethinking College film (for individuals new to the field), the accreditation resources (for K-12 systems and stakeholders), the College Search tool (for families), and the Fast Facts publications are great.
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Technical Assistance: You Ask, We Answer
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Last year, our TA team answered 600 inquiries from parents, teachers, students, administrators, program staff, guidance counselors, and friends. You ask, we answer. Really! Send an email to ThinkCollegeTA@gmail.com and ask us anything about inclusive postsecondary education. We will get you an answer.
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Can you steer me towards information or resources to help build the case that our students should be considered for a financial aid package that aligns with their cost of attendance, commitment, and participation?
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You can read and listen to articles including:
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by Shelby Bates, Think College
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In this blog, Shelby Bates shares the story of how students, families, and advocates helped make inclusive postsecondary education a reality for youth with ID in Colorado.
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In this blog, Denise Rozell shares her excitement about the new cohort of Think College Policy Advocates and their visit to Washington, DC.
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Engage with like-minded folks!
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Are you passionate or curious about a specific aspect of transition or postsecondary education? Whether you want to talk or just listen, an NCC Affinity Group is a good way to engage with others. Click the name of the group to learn more about its goals, activities, past recordings, and upcoming meeting dates.
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News from the Think College Inclusive Higher Education Network
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Learn about the other Think College projects:
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For more information about Think College newsletters, contact:
Sheila Johnson
Knowledge Translation Associate
Institute for Community Inclusion
University of Massachusetts Boston
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Stay Connected with Think College!
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