Effective Supports and Experiences That Advance Inclusive Postsecondary Education for Students With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID) have the lowest rates of post-high school education and employment of all disability groups (Migliore, et al., 2009). Inequity in educational and employment outcomes is arguably a result of the scarce opportunities for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) to attend college or obtain competitive employment (Grigal & Papay, 2018). Opportunities for students with IDD to attend inclusive postsecondary education (PSE) programs at colleges around the United States have gradually increased since the Higher Education Opportunity Act (P.L. 110-315) passed in 2008. PSE is associated with positive long-term outcomes of students with IDD, including increased competitive employment and self-determination (Moore & Schelling, 2018; Smith et al., 2018). The intent of this three-study dissertation was to identify effective supports and meaningful experiences that advance PSE opportunities for students with IDD. Peer mentors are college students that support PSE students with IDD to attend courses and complete assignments, develop employment skills, navigate campus, and socialize (Kleinert et al., 2012). Peer mentors reported needing training to support students to improve their social skills and increase their appropriate behavior (Giust & Valle-Riestra, 2017). The first two studies of this dissertation explored the impact of training and coaching on peer mentors’ implementation fidelity and generalization of students’ behavior plans. The first study used a nonconcurrent single-subject multiple baseline design across three peer mentor-student pairs to examine the impact of training and coaching with performance feedback on peer mentors’ fidelity in implementing function-based intervention plans (FBIP) for students with intellectual disability and autism spectrum disorder. All peer mentors improved their implementation fidelity immediately after being trained and further improved their fidelity after being coached. One to two coaching sessions were necessary for peer mentors to reach high levels of fidelity in implementing students’ FBIP. Students with IDD also increased prosocial behaviors when function-based support was implemented with fidelity. The second study used a single-subject multiple baseline design to examine the relationship between training and coaching with performance feedback on a postsecondary peer mentor’s implementation fidelity and generalization of a student’s FBIP across three settings. The peer mentor’s implementation fidelity immediately improved across all three settings after receiving initial training. Fidelity in each setting increased further following the coaching specific to that setting. The peer mentor generalized skills taught during coaching to two of the three settings. There was a functional relation between the peer mentor’s fidelity and the student’s on-task behavior in two of the three settings. For the final study in this dissertation, semi-structured interviews explored the perspectives of 10 current and recently graduated PSE students with IDD to understand the experiences and supports that contributed to progress towards their self-directed employment, education, and social goals. Students described internship experiences as fundamental to progress towards their employment goals. Internships led to students’ learning work skills and preferences, resulting in many students adjusting their employment goals during PSE. Peer mentor support was described as essential for advancing students’ goals in all areas. Students relayed that continuing to learn and developing friendships during PSE changed their future. Results from these studies identify effective experiences and supports that improve skill development and goal progression of PSE students with IDD. Additionally, results reinforce the importance of inclusive PSE options to increase equity in outcomes for individuals with IDD