Project Description:
This project will lay the groundwork for a new collaboration between the Department of Counseling, School Psychology, and Sport (CSPS) and the Institute for Community Inclusion. The project will involve both curricular innovation and research by enhancing the COUNSL 660 College Readiness Counseling course at UMass Boston through the integration of content focused on preparing school counselors to support students with IDD in planning for college. Developed in collaboration with the school counseling program, this curriculum will utilize resources from the "Think Higher. Think College" public awareness campaign to strengthen counselor candidates' foundational knowledge, skills, and awareness to effectively support students with IDD in transitioning to college.
The curriculum will introduce researched-based practices and inclusive strategies for supporting students with IDD as they navigate the college planning process. School counselors in training at the University of Massachusetts, Boston are already exposed to effective strategies to support students without IDD in navigating college options (Sterk et al., 2022), yet do not receive training on inclusive higher education for students with IDD. Without deliberate and integrated training, school counselors will likely remain apprehensive about their abilities to work with students with IDD in preparing for college. Concerns surrounding counselors being under-prepared to meet the needs of individuals with disabilities are not new (Korinek & Prillaman, 1992; Lebsock & DeBlassie, 1975; Smart & Smart, 2006). For example, Feather and Carlson (2019) highlighted this problem in their study investigating instructors' self-perceived competence to incorporate disability-related content into counselor preparation coursework. Thirty-six percent (n = 41) of survey respondents indicated that their counselor education program was ineffective at addressing the needs of adults with disabilities. Additionally, respondents were asked about their perceptions of the amount of time spent on disability-related concepts and guidelines for integration into the counselor education curriculum and nearly 69% (n = 77) responded either far too little or too little. Only 31% (n = 35) of respondents indicated that the amount of time spent on disability-related concepts was just right within their counselor education coursework (Feather & Carlson, 2019).
On a foundational level, the curriculum that will be developed through this project provides pre-service school counselors with exposure to disability rights and needs that they may not have received otherwise. The curricular content for this project will include specific elements, such as instruction on theoretical foundations, historical perspectives, conceptual frameworks, terminology, and criteria for defining disability, all of which are elements that have been recommended to enhance disability training across program counseling curricula (Rivas, 2020). This new content will emphasize a holistic approach, covering key aspects of inclusive college readiness, including foundational knowledge on the experiences and rights of students with disabilities, advocating for college pathways, fostering family and student engagement, and understanding higher education options for students with IDD.
A pilot research study will be conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the newly developed curriculum in enhancing the preparedness of school counselor candidates to support students with IDD in planning for college. Utilizing a pre/post design, the study will measure changes in counselor candidates' knowledge, attitudes, and perceived self-efficacy in effectively working with students with IDD to prepare for college, before and after exposure to the enhanced COUNSL 660 College Readiness Counseling course content.
Participants will complete pre- and post-course surveys assessing their understanding of inclusive college planning, awareness of available resources, and confidence in applying strategies to support students with IDD. The curriculum's impact will be analyzed by comparing these baseline and post-intervention survey results to gauge growth in foundational knowledge and counseling skills. Findings from the pilot study will inform potential revisions to the curriculum content.
Several outcomes are anticipated for this curriculum and research project including:
• Enhanced counselor preparedness: School counselor candidates will complete the revised COUNSL 660 College Readiness Counseling course with a deeper understanding of the unique needs, goals, and pathways for students with IDD. They will gain practical skills and resources to support inclusive college planning.
• Increased awareness and advocacy: Counselor candidates will be better equipped to advocate for students with IDD and to empower students and their families to envision and pursue college options.
• Data-driven insights on inclusive strategies within counselor education: The pilot study will yield empirical data on the effectiveness of this curriculum, highlighting the knowledge, attitudes, and self-efficacy gains among counselor candidates. These findings will inform potential refinements to the curriculum and provide a research-backed model for counselor education on college planning for students with IDD that can be replicated at other universities.
• Publication and knowledge dissemination: Findings from the study will be disseminated through academic publication in peer-reviewed journals like Journal of College Access, Journal of Counseling & Development, Teaching & Supervision in Counseling, Counselor Education and Supervision, International Journal of Disability, Development & Education, Journal of College Counseling, and Professional School Counseling, and presentations at counselor education conferences. These dissemination activities all center around the goal of advancing inclusive postsecondary counseling practices and ultimately enhancing college access for students with IDD.
• Expanded access to postsecondary education: Long-term, the project supports UMass Boston's commitment to inclusive excellence by contributing to a new generation of school counselors who are prepared to create more equitable college access pathways, ultimately increasing the number of students with IDD who successfully transition to and thrive in postsecondary education settings.
• Forging a new collaborative partnership: The new collaboration between the school counseling program and the Institute for Community Inclusion will form the basis for a sustainable partnership that can be expanded to further research and development in inclusive higher education.
• Positioning UMass Boston as a leader in counselor education: The dissemination of this work will demonstrate how UMass Boston is a leader in training future school counselors to foster inclusive college access. Such a reputation will attract interest, partnerships, and further funding opportunities from organizations committed to educational equity for students with IDD.
