September 2021 News from the National Coordinating Center
We hope you had a nice relaxing summer and, if you are a student, teacher, parent, or program staff, a fantastic start to the school year. While we took a break from our newsletter, the NCC staff stayed busy all summer long! We: 
 
  • Hired new staff and held our annual TPSID Project Directors’ meeting
  • Created a shiny new website! Check it out now.
  • Shared four new blog posts and established a new Affinity Group
  • Developed new publications and published research in journals
Recent Publications
Our Research & Evaluation Team reviewed and compiled data from the Cohort 5 (2019-2020) TPSIDs and created several new publications, including the Annual Report of the Cohort 2 TPSID Model Demonstration Projects (Year 5, 2019–2020) and the executive summary.
Meet Belkis and Ashley

Think College hired two new staff members this summer. Belkis Choiseul-Praslin joined the National Coordinating Center research team and Ashley Luce joined the team as the Massachusetts Inclusive Concurrent Enrollment Initiative project program coordinator at UMass Boston. Learn more Belkis and Ashley here.
New College Programs Welcome Students for First Time
The US Department of Education awarded 22 new Transition and Postsecondary Programs for Students with Intellectual Disability (TPSID) in October 2020. Six of those grants went to universities to establish a new program or programs. Less than one year later, it is exciting to see these new programs (listed below) up and running with their inaugural class of students.
2021 TPSID Project Directors' Meeting
In July, NCC staff and directors of current TPSID programs gathered for networking and information sharing during a two-day virtual meeting. Directors learned about program accreditation standards, federal and state policy, micro-credentials, vocational rehabilitation partnerships, and the past ten years of TPSID data. Learn more about the TPSIDs.
Next Emerging Advocates Group Meeting: Thurs., Sept. 23 2-3:30pm ET

Join us for a discussion with international disability rights advocate Judy Heumann! This meeting is for students, graduates, and advocates with disabilities.
Hosted by Liz Weintraub

Click HERE to sign-up for the meeting.
Click HERE to learn more about the Emerging Advocates Group.
Think College Affinity Groups: Looking for community?
Wishing you could find a group of people working toward similar goals, or who share an interest of yours? Look no further! Check out the Think College Affinity Groups.
New: Inclusive Campus Life Affinity Group
The Inclusive Campus Life Affinity Group connects people supporting students with ID to become full participating members of their campus communities to share dialogue, tools, resources, and practices. Group members may include college or university staff, faculty, mentors, students with ID, or researchers. The group is facilitated by Lindsay Krech, director of Campus Life and Student Supports at Vanderbilt University.
by Denise Rozell, AUCD

Sometimes I think it is best to just stop talking and listen to the advocates with lived experience around us. That is what I am going to do for this blog today. Continue reading this post.
September Student Spotlight: Ezra Czechowski

Ezra is from Sammamish, WA and a second-year student in Washington State University’s Responsibility Opportunity Advocacy and Respect (ROAR) program. Click to read Ezra's spotlight interview.

What's going on in higher education for students with intellectual disability in the US
Are you an African-American college students with autism?
A doctoral student at Maryville University is looking to interview African-American college students with autism for a research study to explore perceptions, experiences, and self-efficacy. If you are interested in participating in an interview, contact Jackie Lorrainne at jlorrainne1@live.maryville.edu. Deadline to sign up is Oct. 15. Read more details.
College supplement in Parenting Special Needs (PSN) magazine
The September/October issue of PSN features the supplement College is NOW an Option for All. Parents of college students with ID share lessons learned and a list of top 10 tips to prepare for college. Go directly to the supplement or visit the PSN website.
Key Components of IPSE Programs: The State College/University Models
On September 29, 2021, SEPSEA will hold a free webinar. Guest speakers are Kelly Kelley from Western Carolina University (WCU) and Erica Walters from Clemson University. They will discuss the program models for WCU UP Program and ClemsonLIFE. The web 2:30 pm CST/3:30 pm EST. Register here.
conference logo
SOTA Conferences November 8 & 9, 2021

Inclusive Higher Education: Disability, Equity, and Social Justice
Attend to learn about the current state of research and practice in the field, and to network with colleagues, students, and others interested in inclusive higher education. Visit the conference website for details and registration.

Student Leadership 2021
This virtual conference for high school and college students with intellectual disability. It is part of the State of the Art conference. Learn more.
News from NCC partners
AHEAD is holding a 6-session webinar series designed to foster leadership skills in all disability resource staff. The series will help you think strategically about leadership and explore resources and relationships that will support your personal and professional skills as a leader. Learn more.

AHEAD Conference: Accessing Higher Ground
Join AHEAD November 15-19, 2021 for the Accessible Media, Web and Technology Conference. Conference will be held in person in Denver, CO. Learn more.

Fall 2021 AHEAD Webinar Series
AHEAD is excited to once again offer its fall webinar series with a wide-ranging variety of topics. This year’s program features 12 webinars with 25 speaker. Click for dates and registration info.
 
AHEAD START: A Virtual Academy and Mentoring Experience for New(er) Disability Resource Personnel
The October 20-22, 2021 conference will be a virtual experience that also includes a year-long mentoring component to again offer newer professionals the opportunity to explore, discuss, and apply concepts important to building equity on college campuses. Learn more.
AUCD is excited to welcome AUCD members, organizational partners, disability experts, individuals with disabilities, family members and trainees to join the AUCD 2021 Virtual Conference November 15 -17, 2021! Register now (deadline is Oct. 22).

AUCD recently added new resources to their Toolkit, including: (1) Michigan Developmental Disabilities Institute’s Spanish Language COVID-19 Vaccine Infographics, (2) COVID-19 Data on Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, (3) a NIH-funded study on racial disparities in maternal death, (4) an e-learning program on culturally and linguistically appropriate services (CLAS) in maternal health care, and (5) an article on escaping diversity "change traps" in the Chronicles of Higher Education.

As COVID-19 safety mandates swept the US, 48 million individuals who are Deaf and hard of hearing faced a sharp increase in communication barriers. Mask mandates and social distancing made communication via hearing aids, lip reading, and understanding social cues incredibly difficult. Read the post.


Do you have news or an update to share?
It could appear in the next newsletter.
Please get in touch!


Sheila Johnson
Knowledge Translation Associate
Institute for Community Inclusion
Stay Connected with Think College