Students with IDD and Autism
Governor Baker signed into law a bill giving students with intellectual disabilities and/or autism the opportunity to attend public colleges and universities making Massachusetts the first in the nation to do so. This was the result of the tireless work of many people and organizations giving these students the same opportunity as every other student in Massachusetts.Â
This law is as groundbreaking as the original Special Education Law but now allows education beyond high school for students with IDD and autism. I along with many others have been working on this legislation since 2006 with the passing of the Massachusetts Inclusive Concurrent Enrollment Initiative (MAICEI) and I have written various articles exploring the effect of higher education on individuals with intellectual disabilities.[1][2][3][4][5]
The new law allows individuals with severe intellectual disabilities, severe autism spectrum disorders, or other severe developmental disabilities to participate in undergraduate academic courses, internships, work-based trainings, extracurricular activities, and all other aspects of campus life that include other students not participating under this section, such individuals shall not be required to: (i) take any standardized college entrance aptitude test; (ii) have a high school diploma or its equivalent; (iii) meet high school course requirements; (iv) meet minimum grade point average requirements; or (v) obtain a passing score on the statewide assessment tests utilized as a basis for acceptance.
An individual shall not be denied an opportunity to participate in higher education solely due to the individual’s disability status. Public institutions of higher education, in consultation with the department of higher education and consistent with the purposes of this section, shall also establish course selection guidelines to ensure that participating individuals select courses that are appropriate to their individual strengths, needs, preferences, and interests.
The budget for FY 23 adds four million dollars to support the inclusion of participating students in academic courses, extracurricular activities, and other aspects of campus life, individual supports and services shall be provided to individuals participating in higher education.
This law also allows students over the age of 22 to attend college as well.Â
For full law click here
Special Thanks to:
Rep Sean Garballey, Rep. Pat Haddad, Sen. Mike Rodrigues, Rep. Aaron Michelwitz, Chairs of Higher Education, Rep. Dave Rogers and Sen. Anne Gobi, Sen. Pres. Karen Spilka, Speaker Ron Mariano, Gov. Baker, Julia Landau, Erin Riley, Jeremy Spittle, MDSC, ArcMass, and many others.
For more information on transition to adulthood for individuals with IDD or Autism Contact Us Today for Your Case Evaluation
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