DHD receives grant to create post-secondary education program for people with intellectual disabilities
Students with intellectual disabilities will attend classes at UIC in a two-year certificate program that prepares them for a career in their chosen field.
The UIC Certificate in Co-Operative Career Experience, offered by the Department of Disability and Human Development, is funded by a five-year, $2.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education.
The first co-op class of 10 students is expected to begin their studies in spring 2022.
“So many students with intellectual disabilities get dropped from formal disability services after high school. When they become adults, they usually end up not going to college and are often unemployed or underemployed,” said project leader Tamar Heller, distinguished professor and head of the department and its Institute on Disability and Human Development.