The United States Department of Education has award a $2.3 million grant to the College of Charleston to help fund the Realizing Educational and Career Hopes: Foundation, Augmentation, Replication (R.E.A.C.H: F.A R.) program.
The program at the College of Charleston is a new four-year innovative postsecondary program for adults with intellectual disabilities who desire inclusion in the academic, professional, residential, and social college experiences in a supportive environment.
“We view this as an extraordinary opportunity for College to establish itself as a national leader in inclusive education, and to promote inclusion not only at the postsecondary level but also at primary and secondary levels as well,” says Cynthia May, Professor in the Department of Psychology of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at the College of Charleston.
The funding will allow extension of the core foundations of the R.E.A.C.H. program, collaborations with regional educational and professional organizations, promotion of positive and appropriate attitudes toward disability, and improved student preparation, recruitment and retention.