Concurrent Session:
The Unconscious Smile: Coherency of Inclusive Postsecondary Education

In 2008 the US government reauthorized the United States Higher Education Opportunity Act to include people with intellectual disability in four-year institutions of higher education. Seventeen years and $300,000,000.00 later over three hundred colleges and universities across the United States have established programs for students with intellectual disability. This presentation will compare and contrast the coherency of college valued roles desired and college valued roles attained. An examination of data collected and articles authored are summarized to understand how the cloud of assumption has impacted the coherency of models. It will look at; what is inclusive postsecondary education as envisioned and enshrined, a model initiative modeled with SRV, data collected – revealing the cloud of assumptions, safeguarding through associations and consortiums, lessons learned, and continual renewal.

Presenters

Thomas Neuville​

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Thomas Neuville is a Professor of Special Education and Disability Studies in the Department of Educational Foundations at Millersville University in Millersville, PA.  He has more than forty years’ experience in education, community, and organizational development.  Dr. Neuville’s current work is centered on designing coherent models of inclusive postsecondary education as Principal Investigator for the PA Inclusive Higher Education Consortium. He serves as founder of Integrated Studies, an inclusive post-secondary program for students with intellectual disability at Millersville. Dr. Neuville created and serves as advisor for the first approved BA-MDST – Applied Disability Studies at Millersville University.​

Gabriela Hagiu

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Gabriela Hagiu is a strong advocate for inclusive higher education. She currently serves as the Grant Coordinator for the Pennsylvania Inclusive Higher Education Consortium (PIHEC) at Millersville University and oversees the activities for the Transition and Postsecondary Programs for Students with Intellectual Disabilities (TPSID) grant issued by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Postsecondary Education. Gabriela’s dedication and commitment to marginalized populations inspire her meaningful contributions to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in education.