The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 39, No. 2 & Volume 40, No. 1 - 189

How Are They Faring?

the postsecondary education options that families and educators only dreamed of in the very
recent past.
The HEOA also authorized the funding
of 27 model demonstration programs, called
Transition Programs for Students with Intellectual Disabilities (TPSID) (Kleinert, Jones,
Sheppard-Jones, Harp, & Harrison, 2012),
and a National Coordinating Center (NCC).
Thus, the HEOA provided fiscal and technical support to higher education institutions,
including start-up funds to create and evaluate
the 27 transition programs and to assess the
effectiveness of inclusive postsecondary education in general. These projects are located in 23
states with funding beginning in 2010. Regularly scheduled communications and multiple
collaborations related to the design, implementation, and evaluation of transition programs
are coordinated by the NCC. It is anticipated
that the record of experiences and the program
and student-level data being analyzed will yield
a wealth of information to guide higher education institutions in establishing programs for
students with ID.

THE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA
REALIZING EDUCATIONAL AND
CAREER HOPES PROGRAM
The University of Iowa REACH Program (UIREACH) is one of the 27 federally funded
transition programs. It is a two-year certificate (non-degree earning) program for students with ID. The overarching mission of
the program is to provide students with ID a
comprehensive, inclusive college experience
which prepares them to become independent, engaged, self-determined young adults
(University of Iowa, 2010). The UI-REACH

model emphasizes student life, academic life,
and career development and transition (i.e.,
post-program support) and strives to foster
an authentic, inclusive living-learning experience that brings a rich array of learning opportunities to the multiple dimensions of each
student’s immediate life circumstances. To
impact the postsecondary life trajectories of
individuals with ID, the program goals include
creating a living-learning environment that
fosters growth in academics (Solberg, Howard,
Gresham, & Carter, 2012); improves self-management, self-advocacy, and self-determination
(Weinkauf, 2002); and enhances student communication and social and interpersonal skills
(Geller & Greenberg, 2010; McCoy & Hermansen, 2007) in a person-centered manner
(Holburn, Jacobson, Vietze, Schwartz, &
Sersen, 2000).

UI-REACH STUDENTS
To date UI-REACH has served 74 students,
including approximately 35% in-state residents
and 65% out-of-state. Students herald from 19
states—from New York to California, Texas to
South Dakota, with rural, suburban, and urban
hometowns (e.g., population range = 400 to
>1,000,000). The UI-REACH admissions
guidelines require applicants to be between the
ages of 18 and 25 when admitted. All students
who apply to the program complete an application packet, tour the program, and participate
in on-campus student and family interviews.
Upon admission, all students are issued a
university identification card and register for
classes and pay bills in the same way as other
students do. Families may submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to the
university Office of Financial Aid to qualify for

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The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 39, No. 2 & Volume 40, No. 1

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 39, No. 2 & Volume 40, No. 1