I just read an interesting article on NYtimes.com about college and vocational offerings for students with cognitive disabilities. You might have to sign up for a free subscription to the NYtimes.com to get the entire article, but it is well worth the trouble. According to the article,
The opening of college campuses comes as an outgrowth of the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act of 1975. That law mandated that public schools educate children of all intellectual abilities and, whenever possible, in regular classrooms with same-age peers.
Now, coming of age expecting full inclusion from kindergarten through 12th grade, students and their parents are asking to graduate to similar opportunities. By law, children with disabilities are entitled to a free public education until age 21. Until recently, that mostly meant an extended stay in special-education classrooms at a public high school, but recent clarifications of the law have allowed states to use money earmarked for lower education for appropriate postsecondary programs instead.
Some of the postsecondary programs offer certificates, associate degrees, and vocational training. The article includes personal stories of students with Down syndrome who are attending college and the challenges that they face academically and socially. The main thing is that they are being given the opportunity to accomplish as much as they can.
This article reminds me of the book I recommended in an earlier blog. The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards describes a young girl with Down syndrome and her dreams for the future. This article gives an update of ways to achieve those dreams.