ICI Publications

New The Importance of Naming Postsecondary Education Programs

Choosing the right name for a postsecondary education program for students with intellectual disability is critical for shaping perceptions and fostering inclusion. Thoughtful naming can help emphasize the program’s academic mission and support student self-determination. In this brief, research by Papay et al. (2022) highlights common naming practices, such as acronyms or disability-focused terms, that may unintentionally hinder full integration of people with intellectual disability into the academic community.

New Teaching Campus Navigation for Students with Intellectual Disability

Research shows that explicit campus navigation training helps students, including those with intellectual disability, adapt to new environments and increase independent access. Peer-reviewed studies highlight effective strategies, such as using handheld technology and task analysis tools like Google Maps, to improve navigation skills. This brief summarizes findings and offers recommendations for implementing evidence-based approaches to teach campus navigation.

Conducting a College Search: Questions to Ask College Programs

Conducting a college search is a daunting task for every family and every potential college student. For students with intellectual disability (ID), there are some additional aspects to consider beyond the details you can learn in Think College Search. This resource provides questions, suggested by parents and students who have been through the college search process.

Voices of Experience: Students Share College Search Advice

We asked 5 former college students what you (and your family) should think about as you start your own college journey. Meet the students here, and keep reading to find out what they wanted you to know!

Consider the Alternatives: Decision-Making Options for Young Adults with Intellectual Disabilities

As youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are making plans to attend college, it is more important than ever that families become fully informed about guardianship as well as less-limiting alternatives. This brief defines some of the options and possible ramifications. It also presents special circumstances for consideration, and suggests ways to promote self-determination no matter which option is chosen.

Provision of Pre-Employment Transition Services in TPSID Programs

This Fast Fact describes ways that Transition Postsecondary Programs for Students with Intellectual Disabilities (TPSID programs) engage with state vocational rehabilitation agencies to provide pre-employment transition services to students with intellectual disability enrolled in colleges and universities.

Supporting Life Skills Development

Students who receive transition services and attend college have many opportunities throughout the day to develop and use life skills. In fact, the more students stay on campus, the more opportunities they have to use these skills in natural contexts and with natural cues.

Think College TPSID annual report

This report provides an overview of descriptive program and student-level data provided by TPSIDs during the 2018–2019 academic year. Program data includes program characteristics, academic access, supports for students, and integration of the program within the IHE during the fourth year of the 2015–2020 funding. Student data includes student demographics, course enrollments, employment activities, and engagement in student life. This report also provides information on the strategic partnerships and financial sustainability of TPSID programs. Additionally, the report provides trends over time as well as descriptive data on the outcomes of students who exited TPSID programs in previous years.

ADHD: Practical Tips for Parents

This short, accessible guide offers tips to parents around navigating their child’s Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

Early Communication Development & Down Syndrome

This guide informs parents about how Down syndrome can affect communication, and actions they can take to support their child.

Consider the Depression & Down Syndrome

This brochure shares tips for family members about identifying depression and supporting the mental health of their loved one with Down syndrome.

Behavior and Down Syndrome: A Practical Guide for Parents

This publication supports parents in understanding and responding to behavioral issues of their child with Down syndrome.

Building Literacy Skills from Infancy to Adulthood: Infants & Toddlers

This one-pager offers research-supported tips for building literacy skills with children from birth to age 2.

Building Literacy Skills from Infancy to Adulthood: Young Children

This one-pager offers research-supported tips for building literacy skills with pre-school-age children.

Building Literacy Skills from Infancy to Adulthood: School-age Children

This one-pager offers research-supported tips for building literacy skills with children from Grade 1 through the pre-teen years.

Building Literacy Skills from Infancy to Adulthood: Teens and Beyond

This one-pager offers research-supported tips for building literacy skills with adolescents.

New Vocational Rehabilitation Services and Outcomes for People with Intellectual Disabilities: 2014–2023

Vocational rehabilitation (VR) outcomes for adults with intellectual disabilities have changed over the past 10 years. The RSA-911 database shows that from 2014 to 2023, fewer people received VR services, wages decreased slightly, and it took longer to get jobs. This report also compares outcomes for people with intellectual disabilities to those with other disabilities, showing differences across states and demographics.

New Employment Recovery for People with Disabilities Post-COVID-19

Employment for people with disabilities has shown significant recovery since the pandemic. While employment dropped sharply in 2020, by February 2024, it had increased by 29% compared to pre-pandemic levels. This update compares employment changes for people with and without disabilities using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

New Social Security Work Incentives for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities

There are several work incentive programs that help people go to work without fear of losing their Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits. Programs like PASS, IRWE, and Section 1619 exclude certain expenses from income calculations so people can work and keep their benefits at the same time. This Data Note + highlights trends in Social Security programs supporting people with intellectual disabilities from 2000–2022.

New Employment Outcomes for People with Disabilities: Insights from the ACS (2022)

The American Community Survey (ACS) provides a comprehensive overview of employment outcomes for working-age people with disabilities. This Data Note compares the economic situations of people with cognitive disabilities, people with other disabilities, and people without disabilities in 2022.

New Career Pathways Advancement: A Guide for VR Staff

Nebraska Vocational Rehabilitation’s (VR) Career Pathways Advancement Project demonstrates the value of industry partnerships in creating high-quality training and career-focused employment opportunities. This quick guide outlines an 8-step process for VR staff to conduct an environmental scan, helping identify trends and opportunities for advancing career pathways for people with disabilities.

New Progressive Employment Implementation Guide: The Team Approach

Progressive Employment is a service model that connects job seekers with significant barriers to employment to businesses through work-based learning opportunities. A key component of Progressive Employment is the team approach, exemplified by "Jobsville" meetings, where team members collaborate to support job seekers, share labor market insights, and brainstorm solutions. This guide focuses on implementing effective teamwork within the Progressive Employment model.

New Progressive Employment: Risk Mitigation Strategies to help Job Seekers?

The Progressive Employment model includes strategies to mitigate risks for both job seekers and businesses. Risk mitigation strategies reduce employer concerns while supporting job seekers in exploring career opportunities. This guide focuses on risk mitigation strategies for job seekers and their influencers, which involves preparations like workers’ compensation coverage and wage payments during worksite experiences.

New Transforming Culture to Improve Staff Recruitment and Retention

Udac, a Minnesota provider serving adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, shifted from facility-based subminimum wage services to community-based programs during the COVID-19 pandemic. To support this transformation, Udac focused on reshaping its organizational culture and implementing strategies to hire and retain skilled staff, even amid a nationwide workforce shortage. This promising practice highlights Udac’s approach.

Employment and Employment Supports: A Guide to Ensuring Informed Choice for Individuals with Disabilities

Tools for Inclusion No.31

What is “informed choice”? And how we do ensure that a choice is truly “informed” and fully reflective of the individual’s preferences?

This publication answers these questions. In it, we provide a guide to decision-making regarding employment and related services and supports, through a process where individuals understand their options, and make choices and decisions that are fully reflective of their own interests and preferences.

The Power of Disability Employment: The Impact to Arizona’s Economy

The Arizona Developmental Disabilities Planning Council (ADDPC) contracted with the Institute for Community Inclusion (ICI) at the University of Massachusetts Boston to explore the economic impacts for Arizona of increasing the employment of individuals with disabilities and to analyze how the state can improve its efforts.

StateData: The National Report on Employment Services and Outcomes Through 2017

Access the latest information about employment and economic self-sufficiency for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Both national and state-level statistics are included.

New Restrictions on Subminimum Wage Under WIOA: Requirements and Opportunities for State IDD Agencies

This brief provides details on Section 511 implementation, and then discusses potential roles for state IDD agencies.

Unpaid Work Experiences, Volunteering, and Internships: What’s Allowed.

As SELN member states refine how employment services are defined, implemented, and reimbursed, questions arise about how to view certain work experiences, and how to strategically use volunteer opportunities and unpaid work options.

The SELN Guidance for Conversations: Identifying and designing pathways towards rewarding employment

This publication describes a series of pathways that we feel reflect most people's current circumstances and understanding. Each pathway is defined and questions for exploration and discovery are provided.

Explore VR Job Driven Toolkits

The Job-Driven Toolkits provide resources on promising and emerging job-driven strategies for vocational rehabilitation (VR) agencies and partners. The toolkits help embed and sustain job-driven VR practices that lead to improved employment outcomes for people with disabilities.

COVID-19 Publications and Resources

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, public agencies, day and employment service providers, people with disabilities and family members have had to quickly adjust to changes in how services and supports are provided. The publications and resources provided here have been developed to help guide professionals, individuals, and families through this challenging time as we develop new approaches to providing day and employment services, vocational rehabilitation, and supporting community life engagement.

New Assistive Technology (AT) Act Data Brief: Fiscal Year 2023

Statewide Assistive Technology (AT) programs provide AT device loans, demonstrations, and reuse to people with disabilities and older adults. They also offer training and coordinate public awareness campaigns. Each year, these programs report their activities to the Administration on Community Living. The data in this brief highlight AT program activities from FY 2023 and how program efforts improve access to AT across the US.

Innovative AT Practices, ISSUE NO. 1 • OCTOBER 2019

Mobile Unit Brings Assistive Tech to Underserved Areas. The mobile unit has been described as a “warehouse on wheels” by iCAN’s program manager, Rick Anderson. Two program coordinators rotate monthly to drive the van to a predetermined area and set up shop for the day. Once there, they provide device loans, demonstrations of high-end AT devices (such as communication tools), and giveaways of limited reused AT devices.

Community Life Engagement toolkit

Looking to increase community life engagement of the people you support? Not sure where to begin? This toolkit was developed to help service providers develop and improve high quality supports for community life engagement (CLE). Inside you will find guideposts for success, a self-assessment tool, real-world examples of service providers making CLE happen, and other helpful resources and tools.