The National Center on Inclusive Education
Since 2008, the University of New Hampshire has made it a priority to work more closely with NH’s congressional representatives in order to identify and pursue federal resources that can benefit the state. With the support of UNH’s Office of Sponsored Research, a meeting took place in 2008 between IOD leadership and Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter, who serves on the House Committee on Education and Labor, to discuss how the IOD’s expertise could be mobilized to achieve this goal. One of the meeting’s outcomes was to pursue federal earmark dollars to create a center that would focus on best practices in inclusive education for students with ASD and related disabilities. After an eight-month process of development and refinement, the Institute on Disability submitted a proposal to establish the National Center on Inclusive Education for Children and Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Related Disabilities. In July, 2009, Congresswoman Shea-Porter secured in the Omnibus Appropriations Act of 2009, funding for the creation of the center. “UNH is a leader in this field, and this funding will provide the University with the necessary resources to reach educators and families all across the country and to improve services for students with autism,” said Congresswoman Shea-Porter. Center initiatives include providing professional development and technical assistance to state and national model-demonstration sites, recruiting students into appropriate university graduate and certificate programs, and developing online e-learning courses and webinars for educators to support students with ASD and related disabilities in general education classrooms. For more information on the National Center on Inclusive Education, visit www.iod.unh.edu. |
Although national data show that students with ASD receive a majority of their education outside general education classrooms, trends in NH suggest that measurable success in reducing this rate has been achieved. As a result, NH is uniquely positioned to be a model for educators and administrators to demonstrate that it is not only possible but essential that students with ASD and related disabilities are authentic members and full participants in general education classrooms.