Students With Developmental Disabilities Go to College: Description of a Collaborative Transition Project

The existing literature on transition programs suggests that for effective transition of individuals With developmental disabilities, the programs must place emphasis on both the social and the vocational goals of these students. This article describes a pilot project that brought transitioning young adults With disabilities to a college campus for job-sampling. Seventeen high school students With developmental disabilities participated in this program and Were mentored by 23 college students attending a small, private university in suburban NeW Jersey, some of Whom Were planning to become teachers. In total, students With and Without disabilities spent 9 hours together. Preliminary data included university students' journals, special education students' journals, college faculty field notes, and questionnaires and anecdotal data collected from the college community and the local school district. Data indicated that this project had benefits for young adults With and Without disabilities and supported the use of a community-based service-learning model. This study holds implications for prospective special education teachers and the college community.