Massachusetts Inclusive Concurrent Enrollment Initiative (MAICEI)
Project Description:
The Massachusetts Inclusive Concurrent Enrollment Initiative (MAICEI) offers grants to college-school partnerships to support eligible public high school students with intellectual disabilities, ages 18-22, to increase their academic and career success by being included in a college or university community of learners.
Students participating in MAICEI are fully included in the campus community as they develop their capacities in career-planning and employment, self-advocacy, and other self-determined abilities that support their post-secondary interests and activities. For example, students participate in:
College or university courses that support their goals
Social activities on campus, including student organizations and other extracurricular activities of interest to the student
Person-centered planning
Paid work and internships
Independent living and independent travel
Evidence shows that students benefit academically and transition to young adulthood more readily when they can engage in the array of academic, social, career development, and individual self-development activities that are typical for all college students on a campus, rather than staying at high school. Students participating in MAICEI quickly establish new social networks, participate in campus-wide events, learn to use public transportation to and from campus, acquire academic knowledge and skills, and build strategies to find fulfilling work. Most important, MAICEI students grow into more independent decision-makers who are better equipped to define their own personal and career goals and determine how to achieve them. Not only have MAICEI programs proven to be important learning experiences for students, they have also supported the development of more inclusive college and university communities. They have also strengthened more person-centered policies and practices for everyone involved in the transition experience, including students, family members, and school personnel.
Student participation in this grant program may be incorporated into a student's transition program, as determined through the school district's special education process.
Keyword(s):
Students, Access, Awareness, Completion, Readiness, Participation, Success
Core Function(s):
Continuing Education/Community Training
Area of Emphasis
Education & Early Intervention
Target Audience:
Family Members/Caregivers, Adults with Disabilities, Children/Adolescents with Disabilities/SHCN
Unserved or Under-served Populations:
Racial or Ethnic Minorities, Disadvantaged Circumstances
Primary Target Audience Geographic Descriptor:
State
COVID-19 Related Data:
N/A
