East Tennessee Foundation is pleased to announce that the Haley Elise Van Pelt Scholarship will again be available for the 2021-2022 academic year. This $1,200 one-time, one-year scholarship (increased this year) has been established to benefit students of any age seeking post-secondary education who have a permanent intellectual or developmental disability and/or functional impairment. This may include but is not limited to brain injury, musculoskeletal impairment, multiple traumas, neuromuscular disorders such as multiple sclerosis or cerebral palsy, or stroke.  The deadline to apply has  been extended to Mar. 1.

Eligibility requirements are as follows:

• • Residency Requirement: East Tennessee Foundation 25-county service area
  • Post-Secondary Requirement: Enrollment at an accredited two-year or four-year college or university, Tennessee College of Applied Technology, vocational program, trade school, or programs that help individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities gain skills, and make a successful transition from high school to adult life and/or empowers students to achieve gainful employment in the community located in Tennessee.
• Additional Requirement: Permanent intellectual or developmental disability and/or functional impairmentScholarship information, including detailed descriptions and application instructions, as well as 2021 applications, are now available at http://www.etf.org/scholarships. The scholarship application must be completed and submitted online. The application deadline for 2021 is Feb. 15, 2021.

Contact Beth Heller at bheller@etf.org or Ashley Siferd Butler at abutler@etf.org or at (865) 524-1223 with any questions or concerns.

The Association of University Centers on Disability (AUCD) and Think College National Coordinating Center (NCC) are collaborating on an opportunity to learn and practice policy advocacy skills is once again available to students and staff of inclusive higher education programs. If you or someone you know works for or attends a postsecondary education program for students with intellectual disability, you are qualified to apply to be a Think College Policy Advocate, and be supported to participate in the 2021 Disability Policy Seminar, scheduled to be held virtually Apr. 19-21.

All registration costs to participate in the online Disability Policy Seminar will be covered for those selected as Think College Policy Advocate teams. The Disability Policy Seminar, to be held fully online in 2021, offers the opportunity for passionate advocates, self-advocates, experts, and professionals in the field to come together and learn about key issues that affect them most. After two days of training and learning, attendees will participate in a day of meetings with their Members of Congress on Capital Hill. The Arc co-hosts this conference with seven other national disability organizations.

Think College Policy Advocate teams will participate in pre-conference webinars in March as well as multiple online events during the Disability Policy Seminar. Learning will continue in a series of follow up events after the Seminar.

Up to 10 teams, comprised of one student and one staff member, will be selected. Teams must be interested in learning more about public policy and be able to commit to the full series of activities over a year.  Additionally, they will be responsible for subscribing to the AUCD news updates, host a policymaker at their college program, create some policy documents to share with policymakers, host a Think College Public Policy Affinity Group call, and produce some other written pieces.

A complete description, application, and template for a recommendation letter are all available here. Applications are due by Feb. 19; teams will be contacted on or about Mar. 1. If you have any questions, contact Denise Rozell at AUCD: drozell@aucd.org.

A program at East Tennessee State University that prepares students with intellectual disabilities for meaningful employment has received a $2.5 million boost from the U.S. Department of Education.

Access ETSU is a two-year, non-degree program for individuals with intellectual disabilities who are seeking to enhance their academic, career development and social skills and experiences in a way that is identical to their peers at the university.  Participants attend classes, participate in internships and have access to the same activities and services as other ETSU students.

Through this Transition and Postsecondary Programs for Students with Intellectual Disabilities (TPSID) grant from the U.S. Department of Education, the university can provide assistance for tuition and other fees to eligible students in the Access ETSU program beginning in fall 2021.  ETSU will also use the funding to hire additional staffing, including a program coordinator, an academic coordinator and an employment specialist.

In addition, ETSU is now recognized by the Department of Education as a “comprehensive transition program,” meaning that participants can also qualify for federal financial aid.

“Our primary goal with the program is to prepare our students for gainful employment opportunities,” said Dr. Dawn Rowe, associate professor of Educational Foundations and Special Education in the ETSU Clemmer College.  “Students share their areas of interest and career goals with us and we support them determining appropriate coursework and coordinate employment experiences including internships that are aligned with those goals.”

Rowe is the principal investigator on the grant project and is joined by Dr. Jennifer Cook as co-investigator along with Dr. Pamela Mims, Dr. Cynthia Chambers and Dr. Lori Marks, all from ETSU’s Department of Educational Foundations and Special Education.

For more information about Access ETSU, contact Rowe at roweda@etsu.edu or visit www.etsu.edu/coe/access/.

Transition Tennessee’s website for students is excited to announce the addition of the first lesson for students with the goal of continuing their education after high school. The “I Want to Continue My Education” path is being is being launched with one lesson available now, titled “Rights and Responsibilities Change After High School”. After completing this lesson, students will be able to identify similarities and differences between their rights and responsibilities in high school and postsecondary programs.

Lessons coming soon:

• Disability Disclosure in College
• Communication in College

Instructors: Visit the Instructor Guide for more resources and strategies for implementing these lessons with your students.

Please note: Students are not required to create accounts in order to access the content and activities intended for their use. A login is only required for the instructor guide page of the student website. For more information about the privacy policy, click here.

The Tennessee STEP UP Scholarship is a program designed to assist students with intellectual disabilities who have completed high school and enroll in an individualized program of study of up to four (4) years at an eligible postsecondary institution.

Students and parents must complete the STEP UP Scholarship application and email the completed application to STEPUP.program@tn.gov.  In addition, recipients must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for each academic year. The FAFSA can be completed by clicking here.

The deadlines to complete both applications are:

• Fall – September 1
• Spring – February 1
• Summer – May 1

Learn more about the Tennessee STEP UP scholarship, including rules of eligibility, by visiting the Best Essay Writing Services
Click here to complete the STEP UP Scholarship application. 

Information Sessions dates for the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga’s Mosaic Program have been added. All sessions will be held virtually. Click here for more information on specific dates and how to sign up.

The application for Fall 2021-Spring 2022 will go live by Sept. 28.

If you have any questions, email utcmosaic@utc.edu.

Researchers with the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center (VKC) have worked alongside the VKC Treatment and Research Institute for Autism Spectrum Disorders (TRIAD) and the Frist Center for Autism and Innovation to develop a brand-new toolkit and online course on goal-setting for teens and young adults on the autism spectrum. “Supporting Teens and Young Adults on the Autism Spectrum: Setting and Pursuing Self-Determined Goals” is designed to help parents and caregivers, teachers, siblings, service providers, and others who support teens and young adults on the autism spectrum as they set and pursue self-determined goals. Teens and adults on the autism spectrum may also find this toolkit helpful, as well as those who support individuals with a range of disabilities. “Supporting Teens and Young Adults on the Autism Spectrum: Setting and Pursuing Self-Determined Goals” is free and available  for PDF download at http://tiny.cc/goalstoolkit.