Posted on 10/17/2010 2:34:47 PM PDT by bruinbirdman
Zach Neff is all high-fives as he walks through his college campus in western Missouri. The 27-year-old with Down syndrome hugs most everybody, repeatedly. He tells teachers he loves them.
"I told Zach we are putting him on a hug diet - one to say hello and one to say goodbye," said Joyce Downing, who helped start a new program at the University of Central Missouri that serves students with disabilities.
The hope is that polishing up on social skills, like cutting back on the hugs, living in residence halls and going to classes with non-disabled classmates will help students like Neff be more independent and get better jobs.
In years past, college life was largely off-limits for students with such disabilities, but that's no longer the case. Students with Down syndrome, autism and other conditions that can result in intellectual disabilities are leaving high school more academically prepared than ever and ready for the next step: 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. As of 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, which provides services to people with disabilities. . .
(Excerpt) Read more at seattletimes.nwsource.com ...
Sure, why not? Everyone else goes to college. Having a college degree at one time was a prestigious possession. Today, it’s equivalent to a high school diploma.
From there they seem to go on to take positions in Congress, the White House, and other leadership positions in the United States.
This says more about the flaws in Americans With Disabilities Act and taxpayer subsidies to higher education.
yitbos
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