Wisconsin Children With Special Health Care Needs

Mini-Grants to Support Community Conversations on Inclusive Higher Education for Students with Intellectual Disability

Overview The purpose of this mini-grant is to support a minimum of three community college or university campuses in Tennessee to host “community conversation” events aimed at expanding post-secondary education opportunities for people with intellectual disability. These two-hour evening events are effective and engaging ways of gathering a cross-section of campus and community stakeholders to identify possible pathways for expanding access to campus for students with intellectual disability. Events will take place in the spring semester of the 2016-2017 academic year. We hope these events will be the catalyst for new inclusive higher education programs in Tennessee.

Campuses hosting a community conversation event this spring will then become eligible to apply for a future grant of up to $15,000 to support the development of their post-secondary program. More information about this subsequent grant will be available this October.

About Inclusive Postsecondary Education Across the country, two- and four-year colleges and universities are developing programs to support students with intellectual disability (including autism) to access the myriad benefits of higher education. Almost 250 such programs now exist in the United States, including five in Tennessee:  EDGE at Union University  FUTURE at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville  IDEAL at Lipscomb University  Next Steps at Vanderbilt University  TigerLIFE at the University of Memphis With more than 17,000 students with intellectual and other developmental disabilities in Tennessee, we see great need for new and high-quality options for students living in all corners of the state. To learn more about college options for students with intellectual disability, visit www.tnpsealliance.org.

Supporting Community Conversations Through a recent grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Postsecondary Education (Transition and Postsecondary Programs for Students with Intellectual Disabilities), we received funding to both grow our programs and support other campuses in Tennessee to explore launching their own program. Recipients of a community conversation mini-grant will commit to holding one event, analyzing the ideas generated by attendees, and forming a team committed to moving forward on the best ideas. Our team will support mini-grant recipients in planning and carrying out their community conversation event, as well make technical assistance available as campuses move forward in exploring this possibility.

A community conversation is a unique one-time, two-hour event aimed at bringing together a cross- section of critical stakeholders to generate possible responses to a pressing need in a community. In addition to identifying promising ideas, events can help identify key allies and partners needed to COMMUNITY CONVERSATION APPLICATION 2 move forward. We have helped host more than 20 community conversation events on topics related to creating more inclusive workplaces and more welcoming faith communities for people with disabilities. These have taken place in cities like Chattanooga, Clarksville, Germantown, Greeneville, Bristol, Jackson, Knoxville, Lafayette, Lawrenceburg, Memphis, Murfreesboro, Nashville, and Trenton.

To learn more about community conversations, visit the following links:  This article provides an overview of community conversations recently held in Tennessee: “Uncovering New Pathways to Employment through Community Conversations”  This video offers a glimpse into what a community conversation might look like: https://vimeo.com/128290120  This guide addresses step-by-step how to put on a community conversation: “Launching Inclusive Efforts through Community Conversations”

Who Can Apply? Applications are open to two- and four-year campuses interested in developing a new post-secondary program for youth with intellectual disability. Each application must be submitted along with a letter of support from a campus administrator and a minimum of at least one letter from a local disability organization, disability provider, or partnering high school or school district expressing both the commitment of the planning team and their involvement in the project.

What is Your Commitment? A strong, committed team is essential when developing a new post-secondary program. As part of this mini-grant, we require each campus to:  Name in their application a core team comprised of at least 6 people. These individuals should be willing to meet regularly and commit time to planning the community conversation event, recruiting people to attend, and moving forward on the ideas generated at the event. Each team must include at least one person in an administrative role at the campus or their designee and at least one parent of a young adult with an intellectual disability. In addition, we recommend having representation from the following groups: o College or university faculty o Representative of key campus services (e.g., disability services, student supports, advising) o Representative of a disability organization serving individuals with intellectual disability o A current college student o A young adult with an intellectual disability o Representative from a local school district serving transition-age youth with disabilities o Representative from Vocational Rehabilitation  Have at least two team members attend (in person or by web video) a short training on how to host a community conversation.  Commit to hosting one community conversation event involving at least 40 attendees by March 30, 2017. COMMUNITY CONVERSATION APPLICATION 3

 Commit to recruiting and working with interested event attendees to develop post- secondary programming for youth this intellectual and developmental disabilities  Communicate with us throughout the project about your progress.  Support our efforts to evaluate the impact of these mini-grants by distributing a short survey at the conclusion of your event.  Review the website of the Tennessee Inclusive Higher Education Alliance (www.tnpsealliance.org).

What Supports Will You Receive? We commit to providing mini-grant recipients with the following supports:  An award of $1,000 to cover expenses such as publicity, postage, meeting space, food, or actions recommended at your community conversation event.  Technical assistance as you plan and carry out the event.  Help moving forward on the key ideas shared at the community conversation.  Analyses of the ideas shared at your event and feedback on the views of attendees.  Positive publicity as we share what your campus is doing throughout the state.  Opening remarks at your community conversation by Next Steps at Vanderbilt or Tennessee Inclusive Higher Education Alliance member.

Critical Dates and Selection Process  Applications are due by October 15, 2016.  Applications will be reviewed by members of our team.  Recipients will be announced by November 1, 2016.  Preference will be given to submissions by teams from areas of Tennessee without an inclusive higher education program.

Submit Application Electronically or by Mail To:

Jennifer Bumble [email protected] Department of Special Education PMB 228, Peabody College One Magnolia Circle Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN 37203

Feel free to contact Jennifer Bumble at 615-322-4999 with questions about the application process and/or materials. COMMUNITY CONVERSATION APPLICATION 4 Mini-Grants Application Community Conversations on Inclusive Higher Education for Students with Intellectual Disability

Name of Contact Person: Institution:

Telephone:

E-mail address:

1. Which institution will be the focus of your efforts?

2. How would you describe the current opportunities and supports on your campus for students with intellectual disability?

3. What specific changes would you like to see on your campus in the area of post-secondary education for people with intellectual disability?

4. What help do you anticipate needing from our project related to putting on the “community conversation” event or creating a plan following the event?

5. What initial ideas do you have for recruiting a cross-section of relevant stakeholders to your event?

6. What groups do you think might be especially important to have represented?

7. What are your plans for using the mini-grant funds? COMMUNITY CONVERSATION APPLICATION 5

8. Describe the steps (if any) that already have been taken toward developing a post-secondary program for students with intellectual disability.

9. List the community members who have agreed to be on the team that will host the community conversation event and will be actively involved in developing your strategic plan. At least 6 team members must be named. Required roles have an asterisk (*). At least four of the remaining roles should also be represented.

Role Name(s) Phone or Email (required) Campus administrator or designee*

Parents of individuals with disabilities*

College or university faculty

Representatives of key campus services (e.g., disability services, student supports, advising)

Young adults with an intellectual disability

Representatives from a disability organization serving individuals with intellectual disability

Current college students

Vocational Rehabilitation representatives COMMUNITY CONVERSATION APPLICATION 6

Representatives from a local school district serving transition-age youth with disabilities COMMUNITY CONVERSATION APPLICATION 7 Mini-Grant Agreement Community Conversations on Inclusive Higher Education for Students with Intellectual Disability

As a Mini-Grant Recipient, I agree to:

 Have at least two members of our team attend a training on hosting a community conversation.  Organize and hold a community conversation event before April 15, 2017.  Form a team to plan a community conversation, recruit attendees, and move forward on the ideas generated at the event.  Complete brief surveys or interviews to help us evaluate the project.  Communicate with project staff about the progress of project and any issues that arise.  Provide a summary of how all grant monies were spent and submit for reimbursement.  Review the website of the Tennessee Inclusive Higher Education Alliance.

Name of Contact Person: Campus:

Address:

Telephone:

E-mail address:

Signature: