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H 8161Special Education

Education - Higher Education Opportunities for Students with Disabilities Act

Allows students with severe disabilities to attend state colleges for life skills training without meeting standard entrance requirements.

Held for study
Population
Affected
8
Email Legislator
Introduced Feb 27, 2026Committee House Finance

Plain-English Summary

This legislation establishes the "Higher Education Opportunities for Students with Disabilities Act." It creates a pathway for students aged 18 to 22 with severe intellectual or developmental disabilities to attend Rhode Island state colleges and universities (URI, RIC, CCRI). These students can participate in courses and campus life to develop employment and independent living skills without meeting standard entrance requirements like SAT scores or high school diplomas. Funding follows the student from their school district to the college, limited to the state's foundation education aid amount. It requires annual reporting on program participation and outcomes.

For younger readers

This rule helps students who learn differently go to college. Usually, you need good grades and a diploma to go to big schools like the University of Rhode Island. This law says that young adults who have severe disabilities can go there too, even if they didn't pass certain tests. They will go to classes to learn how to live on their own and get jobs. The money that their high school would have spent on them is sent to the college instead to pay for their education.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups
Students with disabilitiesParents of disabled studentsPublic school districtsState colleges and universitiesSpecial education administrators
Impacted communities
All

Constitutional & Fiscal Check

None Likely

Estimated cost
None
Estimated revenue
None

Bill Analysis

Both viewpoints
For Progressives
  • Promotes deep social inclusion by integrating students with severe disabilities into higher education environments, combating the historical segregation of neurodivergent individuals.
  • Removes systemic barriers to education by waiving standardized testing and diploma requirements, ensuring equitable access for students who cannot demonstrate competency through traditional metrics.
  • Empowers marginalized individuals to develop essential independent living and employment skills, potentially reducing long-term reliance on the social safety net by fostering self-sufficiency.
  • Limits funding to the "foundation education aid" amount, which may be insufficient to cover the specialized support staff and resources required for students with severe needs, potentially creating an underfunded mandate.
  • Does not explicitly mandate that colleges hire additional unionized support staff, raising concerns that existing resources could be stretched thin, negatively impacting the quality of services for all students.
  • While access is granted, the bill allows colleges to set capacity guidelines, which could be used to limit enrollment of disabled students if the institutions deem they lack resources, potentially creating a false promise of access.
For Conservatives
  • Encourages self-sufficiency and workforce participation for individuals with disabilities, aligning with the principle of reducing long-term dependency on government assistance programs.
  • Utilizes existing foundation education aid rather than creating a massive new tax or appropriation, efficiently redirecting funds following the student rather than expanding the total budget.
  • Includes specific provisions for students to return to high school if the college setting fails, ensuring that resources are not wasted on a placement that does not yield results.
  • Erodes academic standards and the prestige of higher education institutions by waiving entrance exams, diplomas, and GPA requirements for a specific group of students.
  • Imposes significant administrative burdens and compliance costs on universities to manage behavioral accommodations and reporting, likely expanding university bureaucracies.
  • Prevents universities from charging for costs beyond the foundation aid amount, effectively forcing the institutions (and potentially tuition-paying students) to subsidize the difference if specialized care is expensive.

Votes

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Full Bill Text

Changes to existing Rhode Island law · 159 additions

SECTION 1. Title 16 of the General Laws entitled "EDUCATION" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following chapter: 16-24.2-1. Title. This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the “Higher Education Opportunities for Students with Intellectual Disabilities Act.” 16-24.2-2. Purpose. The purpose of this chapter is to provide inclusive educational opportunities for a child or student with a disability as referenced in § 16-24-1, to improve academic achievement, develop employment and independent living skills and enhance the overall and independent learning environments for these persons. More generally, the purpose of this chapter is to offer a further enhanced option to students with a disability to obtain social and emotional growth, support, and development. This chapter includes students with disabilities, severe intellectual disabilities, severe autism spectrum disorders or other severe developmental disabilities. As used in this chapter, the term "student with a disability" means a student who is eligible for and receives special education services as described in § 16-24-1. 16-24.2-3. Attendance at state colleges and universities.

(a) Students with a disability who are eighteen (18) to twenty-one (21) years of age, inclusive, and up to twenty-two (22) years of age where the provisions of § 16-24-1(f) are applicable, who receive special education services and have disabilities including, but not limited to, severe intellectual disabilities, severe autism spectrum disorders or other severe developmental disabilities and are receiving special education services may also have program options including, but not limited to, continuing education, participation in credit and noncredit courses that include students without disabilities in an institution of higher education, development of independent living skills, development of skills necessary for employment and development of skills to access community services. Participation of such students in institutions of higher education under this section shall be considered an approved expense as a special education service and shall be a benefit available to them pursuant to the provisions of § 16-24-1. More specifically, the provision of this chapter shall be considered a form of secondary school education; provided, however, that this service is addressed in and provided in accordance with the student’s individualized education program pursuant § 16-24-1.

(b) Schools for which a student may attend include all state colleges and universities, including the Community College of Rhode Island, Rhode Island College, and the University of Rhode Island. 16-24.2-4. Program requirements.

(a) To ensure that students with a disability, including, but not limited to, individuals with severe intellectual disabilities, severe autism spectrum disorders or other severe developmental disabilities, have opportunities to be included with non-disabled students in all aspects of higher education for the purpose of gaining academic, career, technical and independent living skills to prepare them for adult life, including, but not limited to, employment and civic engagement, such individuals attending a state institution of postsecondary education pursuant to this chapter shall not be required to:

(1) Take any standardized college entrance aptitude test;

(2) Have a high school diploma or its equivalent;

(3) Meet minimum academic course requirements;

(4) Meet minimum grade point average requirements; or

(5) Obtain a passing score on any statewide assessment tests, in order to participate in undergraduate academic courses, internships, work-based trainings, extracurricular activities that include non-disabled students and all other aspects of campus life in accordance with this chapter. (b)(1) State institutions of higher education, in consultation with the department of elementary and secondary education and the office of the postsecondary commissioner, and consistent with the purposes of this chapter, may create guidelines to select students participating in higher education pursuant to this chapter, including, but not limited to, guidelines to determine campus capacity and to coordinate selection of students with relevant local, state or other public agencies serving students with severe intellectual disabilities, severe autism spectrum disorders or other severe developmental disabilities. Provided, however, that these individuals shall not be denied opportunities to participate in higher education solely due to their intellectual disability, autism spectrum disorders or developmental disability.

(2) Public institutions of higher education, in consultation with the department of elementary and secondary education and the office of the postsecondary commissioner, and consistent with the purposes of this section, may also establish course selection guidelines to help ensure that participating individuals receive guidance in selecting courses that are appropriate to their individual strengths, needs, preferences and interests.

(3) Participating individuals shall be permitted to:

(i) Take a credit-bearing, undergraduate academic course for credit if they have met the course prerequisites and requirements; or

(ii) Audit a credit-bearing, undergraduate academic course, consistent with campus policies governing selection of students for audit participation, if they have not met the course prerequisites and requirements.

(4) Nothing in this chapter shall require a public institution of higher education to provide course enrollment or audit preference for students with severe intellectual disabilities, severe autism spectrum disorders or other severe developmental disabilities, relative to other persons seeking to enroll or audit a course. Nothing in this section shall require a public institution of higher education to include students with severe intellectual disabilities, severe autism spectrum disorders or other severe developmental disabilities in graduate and continuing education courses.

(c) Individuals participating in higher education pursuant to subsections (a) and (b) of this section shall have access to and be included with non-disabled students in all academic and non- academic opportunities at public institutions of higher education in order to have inclusive educational opportunities to acquire academic, career, technical and independent living skills that prepare them for adult life including, but not limited to, employment and civic engagement. Individual supports and services shall be made available to support inclusion in academic courses, extracurricular activities, and other aspects of campus life; provided, however, that nothing in this subsection shall supersede subsections (b) and (d) of this section. (d)(1) Public institutions of higher education shall not be required to bear the costs of individual supports and services that exceed the kind of supports and services generally provided by public institutions of higher education.

(2) Costs associated with supporting participation in public institutions of higher education under this section shall be:

(i) An approved expense as a special education service pursuant to § 16-24-1 and shall be considered secondary school education; provided, however, that a student’s participation in higher education is addressed in the student’s individualized education program under § 16-24-1 for students ages eighteen (18) to twenty-one (21) years old, inclusive, and age twenty-two (22) years, where applicable; provided further, that such student is considered to have a disability, a severe intellectual disability, a severe autism spectrum disorder or other severe developmental disability; provided further, that in the case of students who are age eighteen (18) or nineteen (19), participation shall be limited to students with a disability, a severe intellectual disability, a severe autism spectrum disorder or other severe developmental disability who have been unable to obtain a passing score on any statewide assessment tests utilized as a basis for competency determination. Provided further, that in the case of students ages twenty (20) or twenty-one (21) or twenty-two

(22) where applicable, participation shall be limited to students with a disability, a severe intellectual disability, a severe autism spectrum disorder or other severe developmental disability who have been unable to obtain a passing score on any statewide assessment tests utilized as a basis for competency determinations, or who have already been determined eligible for special education and have also been determined by the individualized education program team to have severe functional delays impacting independent living, communication or behavioral skills resulting in skills that are significantly below chronological age. Provided further, that nothing in this section shall impose an additional cost on a school committee beyond the cost of what is required under state or federal special education law. The school committee shall forward the foundation education aid amount for the student, as determined in § 16-7.2-3, to the state college or university, and the state college and university shall not charge the district or the student for any costs of educating the student beyond the foundation education aid amount;

(ii) Subject to the availability of federal funding and appropriation of foundation education aid pursuant to chapters 7, 7.1, and 7.2 of title 16, for individuals who are determined eligible for vocational rehabilitation services. Access to higher education assists in the attainment of an identified employment goal, as determined by the agency, consistent with all applicable regulations and subject to the development of an individualized plan for employment;

(iii) Costs of participation may be covered by any other public or private sources available to the student.

(e) Participating individuals under this section shall be required to follow the public institution of higher education’s student behavioral policies, including the student code of conduct, antidiscrimination and sexual violence policies; provided, however, that the public institution of higher education shall provide such policies in accessible formats and shall provide reasonable accommodations for participating individuals in any process instituted thereunder.

(f) Any person aggrieved by a violation of this chapter may seek declaratory and injunctive relief, but no school district or public institution of higher education, including trustees, officers, administrators or employees of the school district or public institution of higher education, shall be liable for monetary damages. 16-24.2-5. Return to public high school option. Any student taking courses at a state college or university pursuant to this chapter shall have the option to return to the student’s public high school, if it is found that taking courses at a state college or university is not in the best interest of the student. If a student commences to attend a state college or university pursuant to this chapter and subsequently returns to the high school from the student’s sending district, the state college or university shall return to the sending district the amount of foundation education aid related to the student, in an amount that is proportional to the length of time the student spent attending the state college or university. 16-24.2-6. Annual reporting.

(a) Commencing September 1, 2027, and annually, not later than September 1 thereafter, each state college or university shall file a report with the department of elementary and secondary education, the office of the post-secondary commissioner, the board of education, and the senate and house committees on education and on finance, regarding participation of individuals with disabilities, severe intellectual disabilities, severe autism spectrum disorder, and other severe developmental disabilities, who are attending state colleges and universities pursuant to this section.

(b) The report referred to in this section shall include, but not be limited to:

(1) Data detailing the number of students participating pursuant to this section each semester, including, but not limited to, gender, race and ethnicity of the students;

(2) A list of all courses taken by participating students during the academic year, indicating whether the students audited the course or participated in the course for credit;

(3) A list of extracurricular activities, internships, clubs and other activities in which such students participate during the academic year;

(4) A summary of innovative strategies and practices implemented at each institution of higher education that foster relationships with school districts, the department of human services, and other relevant public agencies;

(5) Employment data for students participating pursuant to this section obtained to the best of the ability of institutions of higher education; and

(6) Any relevant information regarding successful outcomes or challenges the institution experienced in the academic year.

(c) The department of elementary and secondary education and the office of the postsecondary commissioner shall review the reports and shall take steps necessary to ensure the institution is including individuals pursuant to this section. The reports may be used to enhance constructive conversations between the department, office, and institutions of higher education that contribute to developing a full understanding of best practices in implementing this chapter.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.