Student Life
For more than twenty years, STEPS Forward has partnered with universities and colleges across British Columbia to ensure students with intellectual disabilities can pursue genuine post-secondary education within mainstream programs and campus life. Through partnerships with 11 post-secondary institutions, 51 students are fully engaged in academics and campus life, completing modified coursework and earning certificates of completion in their chosen fields. While each student's experience is specific to them, as demonstrated through our Mapping Student Diversity project, explore the following sections to gain a sense of what inclusive post-secondary education can look like.
For more than twenty years, STEPS Forward has partnered with universities and colleges across British Columbia to ensure students with intellectual disabilities can pursue genuine post-secondary education within mainstream programs and campus life. Through partnerships with 11 post-secondary institutions, 51 students are fully engaged in academics and campus life, completing modified coursework and earning certificates of completion in their chosen fields. While each student's experience is specific to them, as demonstrated through our Mapping Student Diversity project, explore the following sections to gain a sense of what inclusive post-secondary education can look like.
Academics
Students enroll in two to five courses a semester in the program of study they choose. Student responsibilities include:
Students are enrolled in courses as non-credit, fully participating students. This allows professors and inclusion facilitators to modify coursework as much or as little as needed for the student to engage with the course. At the end of their program of study, students receive a certificate of completion and attend convocation with their department of study.
** Students are responsible for paying tuition and purchasing textbooks. The cost of tuition varies at each campus; the local inclusion facilitators can let you know the approximate cost per term.**
Deciding What to Study and Course Selection
STEPS Forward, through the BC-Initiative for Inclusive Post-Secondary Education (BC-IPSE), supports students with developmental disabilities across BC. We support students who have a wide range of abilities.
STEPS Forward has a policy of ensuring that, on each campus, at least one student with significant and complex challenges has an opportunity to continue their studies after high school.
Many students have big dreams when they start college or university. They plan on becoming doctors, lawyers, scientists, politicians, teachers, lab technicians, etc. The list goes on and on. Not all students will end up in their "fantasy career," but having that dream brings them closer to the future life they envision.
When an applicant tells us they want to be a neurosurgeon, orchestra conductor, or broadcaster on major TV sports channel, we are thrilled. They're not the only students starting their studies with big dreams. Often, students begin down one path and then explore other interesting opportunities that were not part of their original plan. The important thing is to keep them dreaming big and broadly, to keep them on a "bigger than life" pathway to their future. Facilitators will work with them — and with you — to support them to go as far as they can in becoming successful students.
Ideas for What to Study
- attending lectures, tutorials, and labs
- completing modified exams and assignments
- meeting with inclusion facilitators to discuss each course
Students are enrolled in courses as non-credit, fully participating students. This allows professors and inclusion facilitators to modify coursework as much or as little as needed for the student to engage with the course. At the end of their program of study, students receive a certificate of completion and attend convocation with their department of study.
** Students are responsible for paying tuition and purchasing textbooks. The cost of tuition varies at each campus; the local inclusion facilitators can let you know the approximate cost per term.**
Deciding What to Study and Course Selection
STEPS Forward, through the BC-Initiative for Inclusive Post-Secondary Education (BC-IPSE), supports students with developmental disabilities across BC. We support students who have a wide range of abilities.
STEPS Forward has a policy of ensuring that, on each campus, at least one student with significant and complex challenges has an opportunity to continue their studies after high school.
Many students have big dreams when they start college or university. They plan on becoming doctors, lawyers, scientists, politicians, teachers, lab technicians, etc. The list goes on and on. Not all students will end up in their "fantasy career," but having that dream brings them closer to the future life they envision.
When an applicant tells us they want to be a neurosurgeon, orchestra conductor, or broadcaster on major TV sports channel, we are thrilled. They're not the only students starting their studies with big dreams. Often, students begin down one path and then explore other interesting opportunities that were not part of their original plan. The important thing is to keep them dreaming big and broadly, to keep them on a "bigger than life" pathway to their future. Facilitators will work with them — and with you — to support them to go as far as they can in becoming successful students.
Ideas for What to Study
- If you went to post-secondary, talk with your family member about what you studied and what you liked doing on campus.
- Encourage them to go for coffee with people they know who have attended or are attending post-secondary education.
- Include in your students IEP the opportunity to attend university tours and info sessions.
- Call a campus facilitator to work with you to attend a campus tour.
- Make a list of what they liked to study in high school and what their hobbies are.
- Find out what it is about their dream job that excites them.
Daily Life
Example of a student schedule
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Campus Life
Students are supported to get involved in campus life based on their interests. Students join clubs and course unions, make friends with similar interests, attend student parties, and use the gym and recreation facilities on their campus. Support is provided in invisible and individualized ways to allow students to make decisions about what they want to explore on campus. |
Career Development
Career development is a key part of post-secondary education. Over four to five years of study, students have a variety of opportunities to figure out what they are interested in and how to build towards a career in their field of interest. During the summer (April - August) students are supported to find paid work, internships, training, networking, and volunteer opportunities that relate to their career aspirations.
What A Typical Day Can Look Like:
Morning
Afternoon
Socializing on Campus
This is a significant part of campus engagement and student development. Students connect with people who have similar passions and interests. For many students, the people they get to know through extracurricular activities, sports, and social occasions become lifelong connections leading to new activities, communities, potential employment, and friendships.
Frequently, these activities happen in the afternoon, evening, or on weekends. Many families struggle with finding the balance between supporting their family member to participate and managing the schedules of others in their household.
It is extremely important for families to be willing to explore how to make participation in these activities possible and to work with inclusion facilitators to help make it happen.
Career development is a key part of post-secondary education. Over four to five years of study, students have a variety of opportunities to figure out what they are interested in and how to build towards a career in their field of interest. During the summer (April - August) students are supported to find paid work, internships, training, networking, and volunteer opportunities that relate to their career aspirations.
What A Typical Day Can Look Like:
Morning
- Arrive on campus
- Grab a coffee
- Meet with an inclusion facilitator to go over notes or assignments and check out clubs
- Go to Class
- Lunch
Afternoon
- Drop-in basketball
- Go to Class
- Shift at the radio station or theatre
- Meet a friend
Socializing on Campus
This is a significant part of campus engagement and student development. Students connect with people who have similar passions and interests. For many students, the people they get to know through extracurricular activities, sports, and social occasions become lifelong connections leading to new activities, communities, potential employment, and friendships.
Frequently, these activities happen in the afternoon, evening, or on weekends. Many families struggle with finding the balance between supporting their family member to participate and managing the schedules of others in their household.
It is extremely important for families to be willing to explore how to make participation in these activities possible and to work with inclusion facilitators to help make it happen.
Career Choices and Post Graduation
Colleges and universities are hubs of opportunities and support services geared toward students' academic, social, emotional, and career success. The TMU University Student Affairs website provides a snapshot of the extensive support offered to students, which is typical of all campuses.
How alumni will engage in life — and what activities, interests, and careers they pursue — differs for each individual, as will how much support they need. For some alumni, support will be minimal and infrequent. Others may require more support to build on the inclusive life they began establishing during college/university.
Today, we expect people with developmental disabilities to find gainful employment. While this was not always the case, we are redefining what "gainful employment" means. Previously, "gainful employment" referred to individuals working to increase their personal wealth or resources. More and more, it is coming to mean where one is not only paid for the work they do, but also provided a place where they find community and are valued for their contributions.
Adults with developmental disabilities entering the workforce are generally expected to work in limited entry-level positions with no hope of advancement. Students supported to live an inclusive, coherent life are challenging these assumptions and seeking positions that are pathways to careers, community and advancement.
"Mom, I don't need to hire someone to be my friend so I can go jogging! I can find my own friends to do that like I did at UVic."
- UVic Alumni
The role of the inclusion facilitator is to support alumni and families to:
Where ongoing support may be required, inclusion facilitators have experience in working with families to hire and train their personal inclusion support staff.
How alumni will engage in life — and what activities, interests, and careers they pursue — differs for each individual, as will how much support they need. For some alumni, support will be minimal and infrequent. Others may require more support to build on the inclusive life they began establishing during college/university.
Today, we expect people with developmental disabilities to find gainful employment. While this was not always the case, we are redefining what "gainful employment" means. Previously, "gainful employment" referred to individuals working to increase their personal wealth or resources. More and more, it is coming to mean where one is not only paid for the work they do, but also provided a place where they find community and are valued for their contributions.
Adults with developmental disabilities entering the workforce are generally expected to work in limited entry-level positions with no hope of advancement. Students supported to live an inclusive, coherent life are challenging these assumptions and seeking positions that are pathways to careers, community and advancement.
"Mom, I don't need to hire someone to be my friend so I can go jogging! I can find my own friends to do that like I did at UVic."
- UVic Alumni
The role of the inclusion facilitator is to support alumni and families to:
- Think about what the student's vision for their life looks like and what needs to be in place to make it happen.
- Think about the friendships, activities, connections, and career prospects the student engaged with at college/university and would like to continue after graduation.
- Minimize ongoing direct support by seeking ways for the student's connections to recreation, community, and employment to be reciprocal and supportive.
Where ongoing support may be required, inclusion facilitators have experience in working with families to hire and train their personal inclusion support staff.