Sen. Slap Leads Passage of Bill to Expand College Access for Students with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

HARTFORD – Today, State Senator Derek Slap, Senate Chair of the Higher Education and Employment Advancement Committee, led bipartisan Senate passage of legislation that would explore expanding support to students within the Connecticut State University System with intellectual or developmental disabilities (IDD).

The bill passed with a unanimous vote and now heads to the House.

The legislation requires the Board of Regents to work together with the Departments of Developmental Services, Social Services and Education to develop a plan to provide inclusive educational programs for students in the IDD community. The plan must include:

-Specifications for admission that do not include grade point average, standardized test scores or graduation from high school

-Identification of certain academic programs or courses that a student with an IDD may enroll in

-Inclusive academic enrichment experiences, extracurricular activities, employment or socialization opportunities

-Provision of individualized supports and services for the unique academic, social, housing and life-skills needs

-Availability of information and training for staff, faculty and peers to support IDD students

-Identify funding needed to provide inclusive educational and social programs

“Right now, our students in the IDD community are being left behind in higher education,” said Sen. Slap. “The college experience is critical for young people, not only for the workforce development and the academics – but also for fostering independence, learning to stand on your own two feet, expanding your horizons and meeting new people. Expanding access to higher education for all Connecticut residents and ensuring every student has the support they need has been a top priority of mine and I am grateful to my constituents for bringing this issue to my attention.”

A number of constituent-advocates brought this legislation to Senator Slap, including Lisa Roland, Darlene Borre and Shannon Knall.

“While Connecticut has made strides in promoting inclusive K-12 education, the transition to college remains out of reach for many. This bill will help bridge that gap by requiring a thoughtful, structured plan to integrate students with IDD into our state universities, giving them access to academic, social, and career-building experiences,” said Darlene Borre in her testimony.

Shannon Knall wrote of her son Jack’s experience in her testimony, “Tunxis’s smaller classes has been a benefit for Jack, but there has been no coordinated program to help him access his legal accommodations. As a parent, I have helped Jack to ensure accommodations were in place. There is also no obvious support for social scenarios or inclusion. I believe Tunxis was a great fit for Jack academically, but his success required immense participation by me. I know he didn’t want that, and would love to access supports on campus on his own. He will be graduating with his Associates Degree in May. And while this is a huge accomplishment, Jack wants to continue to learn and to become a teacher.”