1. Elizabeth Evans Getzel Virginia Commonwealth University
Access to Postsecondary Education for Individuals with Disabilities One State’s Effort to Address the Documentation Issue
Elizabeth Evans Getzel
Virginia Commonwealth University

2. Virginia Higher Education Leadership Partners (VA HELP) Overview
Consortium of diverse stakeholders that collaborate on issues pertinent to enhancement and accessibility of postsecondary education for individuals with disabilities
Established in 1999, members meet quarterly to work on specific issues determined by the members

3. Documentation of a Disability
VA Help members have been working since on the issue of the documentation of a disability for higher education
Determined a summit was needed to bring statewide leaders together to address this issue and determine ideas and strategies for Virginia

4. Need for Summit
To bring together decision makers, leaders and stakeholders to develop strategies to:
establish consistency in documentation requirements across postsecondary programs
develop systems of shared responsibility for providing documentation for all students with disabilities entering postsecondary education programs in Virginia.

5. Focus of Summit
To determine strategies, approaches, or areas of collaboration among summit participants to move Virginia in a direction of shared language among stakeholders, collaboration of resources or information sharing among stakeholders, and consensus across postsecondary education programs on documentation guidelines.

6. Focus of Summit
There is a great need for information about best practices, clear policies, and effective communication on documentation requirements to facilitate the transition of students with disabilities from secondary to postsecondary education, and the transfer of students with disabilities from one higher education program to another.

7. Summit Developed series of information for participants based on:
Literature review
Key stakeholder interviews (Virginia & nationally)
National search of promising practices
Representatives attending summit:
State agencies (VDRS, VDOE, VDBVI,SCHEV, VCCS)
Higher Education (2 and 4 year)
School Psychologists
Public School Superintendents
Parent Representative

8. Three Guiding Questions Developed for Summit Discussion
What steps can Virginia take toward developing policies and practices to establish consistency in requirements for the documentation of a disability?
What steps can Virginia take to establish mechanisms for sharing resources enabling students with disabilities access to assessments and evaluations to document a disability for accommodations?

9. Three Guiding Questions Developed for Summit Discussion
What steps can Virginia take to establish and support research studies, practices, and/or strategies to evaluate new approaches in developing a statewide approach to transition and documentation?

10. Preliminary Outcomes from the Summit
Align access to higher education for individuals with disabilities with the Higher Education Restructuring Act
Develop communication mechanisms across state higher education systems and with VDOE
Work on expanding diversity within the State Strategic Plan to include individuals with disabilities

11. Preliminary Outcomes from the Summit
Work with General Assembly to develop pilot studies of assessment information collected by secondary schools to use as documentation with a 2 and 4 year college to determine type of accommodations provided and cost of accommodations

12. Preliminary Outcomes from the Summit
Results of pilot compared to traditional methods of obtaining accommodations
Explore economic development (getting business community involved) through Governor’s Commonwealth Initiative

13. Vision for Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia ensures equal access to higher education for students with disabilities by reducing the barriers caused by documentation requirements.

14. Vision for Virginia: Objectives
Determine what is available now in secondary education regarding documentation for students with disabilities.
Summary of Performance, IEP information, student portfolios
Virginia Department of Education convene stakeholder meeting
State performance plan—Indicators #13(age appropriate transition assessments) and #14 (post school outcomes- participation rate in postsecondary education)

15. Vision for Virginia: Objectives
2. Determine what higher education can use to accommodate students.
Survey higher education programs to gather information on documentation and alternatives considered, awareness level of Summary of Performance
Consider models used in other states

16. Vision for Virginia: Objectives
3. Determine how secondary and postsecondary education can best align.
Conduct pilot study
Meet with community college system, 4 year college system, and secondary education to further discuss summit outcomes
4. Information sharing
Training for students and parents, disability support personnel, evaluators, transition specialists

17. Immediate Steps (Next 4 Months)
VA HELP members developing a document on summit proceedings and outcomes for distribution (Virginia & nationally)
Meet with state legislators
Review state policies to include language on individuals with disabilities
Collaborate with interested organizations to further the implementation of summit outcomes