Research confirms that inclusive postsecondary experiences benefit everyone involved: faculty, peer mentors, and, of course, the students themselves. In one study, over 90% of degree-seeking students surveyed consistently “strongly agreed” or “agreed” with a variety of prompts affirming inclusion in campus life for students with intellectual disability. Given that public-school students interact with intellectually disabled peers throughout their school day, this acceptance comes as no surprise. In the same study, nearly two-thirds of faculty surveyed on the same campus viewed favorably the idea of modifying their teaching to provide an equal opportunity for learning for all students, and three-quarters of faculty and students agreed that students with intellectual disability should be granted opportunities to learn at the university (Gibbons et al., 2015).
In another study about teaching inclusive courses, faculty noted the positive influence the auditing students and their peer mentors had on the learning environment. One instructor remarked that the intellectually disabled student “brought joy to the classroom” (p. 366); another noted how the student made everyone feel more comfortable asking questions. Instructors acknowledged that teaching an inclusive course prompted positive growth in their teaching and noted growth in students as well, particularly in terms of multicultural awareness. (Burgin et al., 2017).
In another qualitative study, one peer mentor highlighted that their experiences working with students with intellectual disability made them “more compassionate, more considerate of others, better students, and happier” (p. 291). Another student claims that being a peer mentor gave her “the most diverse group of friends [she] ever had” (p. 291). For a subset of this group of peer mentors, working with intellectually disabled students is what motivated them to stay in school and clarify their own plans (Ryan et al., 2017).
Students in dedicated programs are also thriving thanks to the choices they have made. For example, Jose Peacock spent the summer before his first year in the REACH Program at the University of Iowa working for the Conservation Corps, where he “got trained on how to use a chainsaw to cut down a tree safely, identify and remove invasive plant species, and manage prescribed fires, which are important for conservation.” Peacock is waiting to get into a course about food production, maintains his job at the Minnesota Science Museum, and works on campus, setting events, in the Student Union. He has a lot of wisdom for future college students:
I advise someone new to college to get involved with clubs, sports, and friends. Try to get as much into personal activities as you possibly can. Go to a football or basketball game—I wish I had gone to a Caitlin Clark game for her last year at the University of Iowa. Getting involved helps with the homesickness. A first-year student right out of high school might experience that, so just get involved. You can even keep the door to your room open for people to say “hi” (Peacock, n.d., para. 3).
Another student, Jeanne Hauff, began college at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh. As she wrote her post, she was looking forward to transferring to the Augie Access Program at Augustana University to continue studying mass media. She writes, “For anyone interested in college, I would tell them to follow their interests and their strengths. College is possible, so get ready!” (Hauff, n.d., para. 8). It is increasingly clear that students with intellectual disability share the same developmental and aspirational goals as all college students. Given the opportunity, they are quite adept at creating meaningful experiences with their peers.