ABSTRACT
Creating a national movement that embraces inclusive higher education for students who experience intellectual disability requires consideration of multiple factors and stakeholders. Building a culture of inclusive higher education also involves collaboration with policymakers at every level of government that influences higher education participation, including local, state, regional, and federal policy leaders. The United States had a scant number of higher education programs that supported students with intellectual disability in higher education for some 25 to 30 years. The distributive approach to leadership and system change has contributed to an emerging model of inclusive secondary and postsecondary education transition services in Massachusetts. When college-school partnerships were awarded funds through the request for proposals process to create inclusive dual enrollment programs, leadership for enrollment initiative was expanded, this time at the individual campus level. Special education administrators, who often oversee transition specialists, use their leadership to communicate the model to school principals, school committee members, and school faculty.
