The Foorce

If you’re like me you’ve probably spent some serious time thinking about what will happen after high school for your special needs child, no matter their current age. Ryan and I waived James’s ability to receive a traditional high school diploma last year in exchange for Alternative Assessments, so that he won’t have to go through the standard state school exams every year (trying for the typical child, let alone one with as many needs as James).

From then on it seemed natural to assume that, without the traditional diploma, James would not be destined for college of any kind. That’s come to be okay with us – college is not for everyone and there are plenty of alternative and fulfilling job paths we can pursue for James as he grows older. Not to mention that college is costing more and more these days, and that same small fortune could go a very long way toward the adult care James will surely need in the future.

Despite all of this, I still entertain the occasional fantasy of finding a special college situation for James to experience. I’ve read about special needs fraternities and dorms and tucked the information away in the back of my mind for the days when I need to comfort myself about James’s impending adulthood.

I got an email the other day telling me about a new site, Think College NY! The home page welcomes you with the following paragraph:

Welcome to the Think College New York Community of Practice where individuals with disabilities, families, schools and service providers come together to share resources for inclusive post secondary education for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Anyone in New York State is welcome to join the Think College New York Community of Practice.

There are events, forums, articles, videos and other resources all devoted to the topic of post-secondary education for individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities. It looks promising, so instead of tucking it away for my rainy day I thought I’d share it with you!

Special thanks to Anne R. for sending me this information!