The increase in the enrollment and identification of students with disabilities in postsecondary education is perhaps one of the most significant compositional changes in college student demographics in recent years, and promises to continue to be so in the upcoming years. But simple access to college, while obviously a critical and necessary component, is not necessarily sufficient to provide something approaching equality of opportunity for the millions of students with learning, physical, emotional or other types of disability.

We believe from a study of the literature along with our experience that the probabilities of developing a successful model addressing the collegiate and post-collegiate barriers facing students with disabilities will be increased if it includes all of the following characteristics

• an emphasis on empowerment rather than placement;
• continuity of services within a comprehensive framework which provides for a multi-faceted approach to a multi-determined problem;
• a strong experiential component for career development;
• an integrated model which draws on existing services and programs and works to "mainstream" the targeted population; and
• a strong awareness (including awareness of adaptive technologies) and outreach component directed towards all the consitutencies which impact on students with disabilities (faculty, staff, students without disabilities, employers, parents, secondary school personnel, and students with disabilities themselves).

Building on resources of established college offices and community partners such as Mass Rehab, Project Enable will integrate and coordinate this internal/community network and develop a replicable model focused on enhancing student potential for successful postsecondary experiences.

Project Enable activities will include:

• Extensive outreach/dissemination including links to area secondary schools, with FSC Upward Bound, community organizations, minority recritment, and dissemination to regional networks and nationally;
• College-wide awareness and training - training on adaptive equipment, comprehensive needs assessments, individualized assistance to students, psychological and practical barriers counseling; and
• Experiential and career-related training including career plans, internships, extracurricular involvement, job search skills, and post-graduate assistance.

Project outcomes are expected to be: continued increased enrollment of students with disabilities; a more positive postsecondary experience resulting in highly skilled, career versed graduates; increased disability awareness by all constituencies, establishment of Project Enable as an information clearinghouse; building awareness and use of resources among the minority community; and increased stable employment for graduates.