History of MAICEI

Since 2007, the Massachusetts Inclusive Concurrent Enrollment Initiative (MAICEI) has supported eligible public high school students with intellectual disabilities and/or autism, ages 18 to 21, to be fully included in two and four-year higher education colleges across the Commonwealth. This inclusive post-secondary education opportunity has allowed students to take college credit and non-credit bearing courses, do job internships, join college clubs, and participate in campus recreational and social events. Students have benefited not just from furthering their academic learning but also in acquiring career and life skills that better prepare them for adulthood. Funded through the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education, there are currently over 200 students who are supported through the MAICEI initiative, at 15 public colleges and universities across the state.

History of MAICEI at Bristol

The first cohort of six students accepted into Bristol in fall 2019 was fully included in all aspects of college life. Students have taken a variety of classes aligned to their career goals and interests including 3 Dimensional Design; Introduction to Animal Care; Applied Animal Behavior; Basic Computing Skills; Baking Skills for Cooks; College Success Seminar; Career and Exploration Seminar; Acting: Voice, Movement, Style; Digital Photography; Sustainable Agriculture; Physiology of Wellness; Elementary American Sign Language and Entomology and Plant Disease. Students use the college academic support services (e.g. advising, tutoring, learning center, library) and benefit from receiving the support of an education coach in class and on campus. In addition, they have developed skills in areas such as organization and time management, self-advocacy, public transportation, communication, and money management. All the students benefitted from receiving the support of an education coach in class and on campus. In 2020 when the college switched to “remote” learning, students continued to be engaged in their classes and participated in on-line social events.