The UH Mānoa College of Education Center on Disability Studies has been awarded a $2.5M grant by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education. A five-year Transition and Postsecondary Programs for Students with Intellectual Disabilities (TPSID) program, TPSID will expand upon a highly successful model to improve employment and independent living outcomes for individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID).
“This is a continuation of the work we have been doing for the past five years,” explained Project Director Eric Folk. “We have supported over 45 students with intellectual disabilities to attend classes at Leeward, Honolulu, and Windward Community Colleges. New funding will allow us to continue our work at our current sites and expand to the neighbor islands while establishing a technical assistance center for transition in the pacific.”
Students with ID pursuing a postsecondary education are provided opportunities for academic enrichment, socialization, independent living skills, and integrated work experiences and career skills that lead to gainful employment. TPSID is among seven of the original 26 grantees who were re-funded under this grant program.
The Hawaiʻi Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) is a TPSID partner and will be providing additional funding through a companion memorandum of understanding (MOU). Other TPSID partners include the Hawaiʻi Department of Human Services Developmental Disabilities Division and the Hawaiʻi Department of Health.
