THECB advisory committee reviews state of postsecondary supports for students with IDD, plans SB55 report

The Higher Education Coordinating Board( THECB ) IDD Advisory Committee met Jan. 24 by videoconference and moved forward on the body—s work to implement Senate Bill 55, hearing from an external provider about campus coaching services, reviewing a bibliography of best-practice programs, and discussing newly received enrollment data for students with intellectual and other developmental disabilities (IDD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

The committee—s charge under Senate Bill 55 (88th Legislature) is to identify best practices and program modules from public and private institutions outside Texas and recommend which elements could be replicated or extended in Texas. At the Jan. 24 meeting, committee members organized subcommittees on best practices, K—postsecondary alignment (TPA), and data; discussed scholarship and funding sources; and agreed on next steps and a timeline aimed at producing a rough draft of the SB55 report by early April.

"When I started with Bloom, we had 60 students in the state of Texas," said Christine Morrison, campus-connections coordinator at Bloom Consulting, who described the coaching, academic supports and employment follow-up her organization provides. Morrison said Bloom—s Texas contract ended and current Texas students now participate on a private-pay basis; Bloom continues to serve students in other states, including Nevada. "We have a very fluid relationship with our students because there are so many different needs that show up when one of our students is in school,"…