RIC Wins Major Federal Grant to Help Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities Break Through Barriers to Higher Education

Press Release

Today, U.S. Senator Jack Reed and Rhode Island College President Nancy Carriuolo joined staff and students at the Paul V. Sherlock Center on Disabilities to announce a new federal grant that is anticipated to provide up to $1.93 million over five years to expand higher-education options for Rhode Islanders with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Rhode Island College is being awarded $386,780 for the first budget period by the U.S. Department of Education through a Transition and Postsecondary Programs for Students with Intellectual Disabilities (TPSID) grant. The TPSID program was originally authorized in 2008 by the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 (P.L. 110-315), which Senator Reed helped co-author and pass. The program provides federal grants to two- and four-year postsecondary education institutions to create or expand high-quality, inclusive transition postsecondary programs for students with intellectual disabilities. The goal is to establish a "Comprehensive Transition Program" (CTP) that helps students with intellectual disabilities attend college, successfully transition to the workforce, and reach their full potential.

This federal grant will help Rhode Island address the U.S. Department of Justice's findings that the state was violating the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) because it did not have adequate transition programs for youth with intellectual disabilities that would enable them to work and live in integrated settings.

"Rhode Island College is -- at its core--a college of opportunity. This institution has been the gateway to higher education for generations of Rhode Islanders who have come to campus from all corners of the state and all walks of life. This federal grant is completely aligned with Rhode Island College's mission and tradition, and it will help a new generation of students with intellectual disabilities to further their education, get mentoring and other support, and develop the skills they need to thrive as independent adults," said Senator Jack Reed, who serves on the Appropriations subcommittee that funds the program. "I commend Tony Antosh and his colleagues for their outstanding work. They've made the Sherlock Center a national leader in supporting students with intellectual disabilities through advocacy, research, and professional development for educators. With this new grant, students with intellectual disabilities will be able to experience campus life here at RIC as they hone their academic skills, discover career pathways, and prepare themselves for independent living and self-determination. In developing a model program, the Sherlock Center will be able to expand best practices to other institutions and other communities in the state. In this way, we will come closer to realizing the true promise of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act that individuals with disabilities enjoy the same rights, opportunities and freedoms as all Americans."

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