Looking Back, Moving Forward: Pre‐HEOA Inclusive Postsecondary Education and the Road Ahead

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Wednesday 3:45 pm - Gold 2
  In Roundtable Session: Pathways to Independence: Postsecondary Experiences for Students with Disabilities

Abstract

This study reconstructs the foundational scholarship on Inclusive Postsecondary Education (IPSE) for students with intellectual disability prior to the 2008 Higher Education Opportunity Act. Using a PRISMA‑ScR–aligned scoping review, 37 peer‑reviewed publications (1976–2008) were identified from five databases and manual searches. Findings reveal a U.S.‑centric corpus that is methodologically varied but theoretically sparse, with early work emphasizing program design and employment outcomes while largely overlooking power dynamics, intersectionality, and grassroots advocacy. Notably absent are critical analyses of ableism and the community‑driven movements that spurred early IPSE efforts. By illuminating these gaps, this analysis lays the groundwork for a rights‑based research agenda that centers marginalized voices and challenges utilitarian framings of inclusion.

Authors

• Sara Jo Soldovieri, The IDEAL School

• Beth Myers, Syracuse University