No abstract

In 2006, the authors’ college joined the ranks of those offering programs for young adults with intellectual disabilities on campus. The program includes several inclusive courses in which typical students study together with their peers with intellectual disabilities. This article describes how 12 pre-service teachers who participated in an inclusive liberal learning understood their experience. The analysis of interviews with these pre-service teachers suggests that they emerged from the course with a commitment to the idea that students with intellectual disabilities have a right to a challenging liberal education. Most emerged with a stronger commitment to inclusive teaching practice and felt that the use of small group activities and discussions was the best way to build classroom community, create relationships among participants, and maximize learning. All of the interviewed pre-service teachers considered this course a positive academic experience.

Five years ago, a small group of higher education faculty at The College of New Jersey asked the question, "What would it look like if we created a postsecondary program for young adults with intellectual disabilities (ID) on the campus of a highly competitive four-year college?" Ultimately, our answer was that following the logic of normalization and inclusion, we should approximate the postsecondary experience of typically developing young men and women. We were aware of program models that were emerging in other places, but believed that our approach should reflect the characteristics of our existing campus and surrounding community. We had no idea how hard we would work, how much we would learn, and how many benefits would accrue to all the parties involved,

No abstract

No abstract