“This program started with some individuals at [Normandale] who saw an opportunity as we talked about inclusivity and access, and what that means. [It means] there’s a gap here, and there’s a gap around the country,” explains Stephanie Nordstog, program coordinator of GainED.
Students will work toward 30 credits. Seventeen are required, 13 are elective, and they will engage in discussions around what electives to choose, either based on interest or potential careers. It’s the typical conversations that students would have, with consideration for how neurodivergent minds may process information differently, carefully structured in a way that would not overwhelm them. The term "disability" is broad. In a learning environment, it requires assistive aids and modifications where necessary, or adapting lesson plans for specific individuals. For example, a professor may need what Nordstog figuratively describes as a “cheat sheet” to remind them how some GainED students learn best. Some may be better listeners than they are with visual learning, while some may need additional or literal instructions written out for better processing. Others may grasp the work easily, but may not be the best in situations that require public speaking.
“We're trying to make it as individualized as we can. So there's the pathway that we've set up. They'll have a two-year program that culminates in a comprehensive applied skills certificate.”
Many adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities don’t often see postsecondary schooling as an option, but those who do, and especially those who are in inclusive programs at any of the 300-plus US colleges that offer similar programs to GainED, tend to fare well after graduation. The data shows that 65% of students who participate in inclusive postsecondary programs find paid work after leaving college.
Inclusive post-secondary programs have historically been concentrated at four-year institutions, so it's a newer phenomenon at two-year colleges. But some institutions are investing in the work. For example, the University of Mount Saint Vincent in The Bronx, New York, launched its Bridge program in 2020, and Lake Superior College, in Duluth, Minn., is six months ahead of Normandale with a similar program. The latter has been especially helpful as a model for Normandale, along with support from colleagues who are involved in similar programs elsewhere.
Sustainability is one goal, but so is community, and by extension, a campus community that serves as an example of how society at large can better support students with special needs in college and in the workforce.
“When we talk about what does it take to get a program like this going, there’s not a lot to draw from in terms of what’s already in place,” Nordstog said.
“We're part of a community of practice that is a kind of an official group with Minnesota state bringing people together to work through problems of practice,” said Nordstog. “We have a formalized way of working together, but we also reach out as things come up.”
“And then there are broader kinds of communities of practice around the state where we'll call in somebody from Maryland, who is doing this work and is, maybe, five or 10 years ahead of us. This all comes out of 2008 legislation that took some time to get some legs under it. So anybody who's been doing it for like, 10 years is a veteran.”
That 2008 legislation is The ADA Amendments Act, passed as an update to 1990’s Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA). It broadens the definition of disability and provides more specifics on how universities can implement equitable education for disabled students. Those pieces of what to do when questions arise around best practices, development, and integration with the traditional school model are best explored and answered through guidance of other models, but also flexibility.
Normandale is still exploring what bigger goals, like transferring to four-year institutions, might look like for GainED students. What they know now is that some students will require modified coursework or an audit that leads to a pass or fail, but not exactly a traditional kind of grade. At the moment, a GainED certificate from Normandale won’t transfer to a four-year college or count toward an additional degree.
Still, evidence points to tremendous value for the students who participate.
“It has the potential to really be life-changing. These are students who wouldn’t have had access to college and now they do, and it may not be an associate’s degree. It’s not a bachelor’s degree, but it’s an additional education that they didn’t have before,” said Nordstog.
“We know from research that students that have any post-secondary exposure and education have higher potential and capacity for competitive integrated employment and all of the things that come with that. They have more fulfilled lives. They have more options in their life, there's less of a strain on public resources, all of those pieces, and the community benefits too. We're really trying to tap into those pieces and make it not this, ‘We're not saving these students.’ We're widening the net of what a college student pathway can look like and what it can look like for an employer.”
