More Students With Special Needs Going To College

The AP (10/18) reports that now more than ever, "students with Down syndrome, autism, and other conditions that can result in intellectual disabilities are leaving high school more academically prepared...and ready" to attend college. "Eight years ago, disability advocates were able to find only four programs on university campuses that allowed students with intellectual disabilities to experience college life with extra help from mentors and tutors." But "last year, there were more than 250 spread across more than three dozen states and two Canadian provinces, said Debra Hart, head of Think College at the Institute for Community Inclusion at the University of Massachusetts Boston." According to the AP, this growth can be attributed to "an increasing demand for higher education for these students and...new federal funds for such programs."