MIHEC Conference: Transformation
Kal-el Spears, a prospective college student from Red Lake, is featured on the MIHEC website.
Raising awareness about higher education options for students with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (IDD), the Minnesota Inclusive Higher Education Consortium (MIHEC) will present its annual conference on September 23 .
Beth Myers of Syracuse University will share how inclusive education has transformed her campus and demonstrated the academic, cultural, and social benefits of meaningful inclusion. Christi Casa, a special education professor at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, will discuss the process of supporting students to be successful in a college environment. Consultants Linda and Brian Schubring will offer strategies for leading transformative change in challenging and uncertain times.
Transformation, in fact, is the overall theme of this year’s virtual event, celebrating the changes taking place on college campuses that are including students with IDD. The focus is not only on how postsecondary options can improve outcomes for students with disabilities, but also on how including these students can enrich the entire campus community and culture.
More colleges and universities in Minnesota and around the country are opening their doors to students with IDD, said Mary Hauff, MIHEC’s director. The Institute on Community Integration is the host organization for the MIHEC technical assistance center. Under competitive grants from the Minnesota Office of Higher Education this year, Lake Superior College, Normandale Community College, and Central Lakes College are starting or expanding enrollment to students with IDD. View a map of current and proposed programs in the state with prospective student data in each region.
“We recognize this is a very challenging time for higher education, and yet there are Minnesota students with IDD who do not have access or the opportunity to choose to go to college,” Hauff said. “Even though we are faced with a lot of challenges, we cannot wait. The students cannot wait.”