Year: 2023
Type: article
Abstract: Lifelong Learning with Friends" provides diversity training to college students by having them learn science alongside adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDDs).Volunteers showed increased interest in IDD-focused research, social interaction, and advocacy. ConnectingAU : Pleaseconfirmthatallheadinglevelsarerepresentedcorrectly: college students to peers with disabilitiesThere is a rising demand to expand diversity training for future scientists, physicians, and educators to include real-world experiences [1].Diversity training often focuses on critical issues like race, gender, and socioeconomic status, but overlooks intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDDs) [2][3][4].The Special Olympics has offered valuable diversityequity-inclusion (DEI) experiences to learn about people with IDDs through "Unified Sports"and "Best Buddies" [5-7], but these programs still do not necessarily demonstrate the level of what adults with IDDs are capable of learning.In 2010, we sought to combine elements of diversity training with experiential learning in a novel program, Lifelong Learning with Friends (LLWF), to connect science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) and premedical college students to peers with IDDs.We hypothesized that having college students learn sophisticated subjects, including science, alongside adults with IDDs would increase college students' expectations and interest in IDD-focused research, education, social interaction, and advocacy.LLWF is a reverse-inclusion continuing-education program aimed at adults with IDDs at the University of Texas at Austin.Reverse inclusion approaches recruit neurotypical students into special education settings to foster positive peer interaction, model appropriate behavior, and offer academic support if needed [8].LLWF utilizes a 2:1 reverse-inclusion dynamic to allow for bidirectional social and academic learning between students with IDDs and volunteers.Adults with IDDs select courses à la carte ($125) suited to their personal interests.Each course consists of 6 classes offered once a week (Monday to Thursday evenings or Sunday afternoon) for 2 to 3 h.LLWF offers a range of courses across sophisticated academic and recreational topics that are typical of a college curriculum but are commonly unavailable to adults with IDDs [5].Fresh course topics bolstered with new material and guest experts are intended to appeal to both adults with IDDs and volunteers (Fig 1).Universal learning design approaches help engage students with a wide range of abilities.Public visibility of our students
Source: PLoS Biology
Authors: Kaelin N. Rubenzer, Jonathan T. Pierce
Institution: The University of Texas at Austin
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $5,500
OpenAlex ID: W4380537000