Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies

Published: 2011-10-03

Abstract:

The purpose of this October 2011 policy brief is to provide state agencies, postsecondary institutions, and policy makers with an overview of changes in the 2008 Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) affecting the access to education of postsecondary students with disabilities and the way teacher education programs at Institutions of Higher Learning (IHEs) prepare general and special educators to teach students with disabilities. Specifically, this analysis reviews disability-related terminology new to this revision of the HEOA, access to instructional materials for students with print disabilities, changes in access to financial aid for students with intellectual disabilities, model demonstration projects both for students with print and intellectual disabilities, and new requirements for teacher preparation programs. Implications of HEOA for Maine’s postsecondary institutions, Maine policy makers, and Maine students with disabilities are discussed.