Oct 13, 2025
The University of Missouri–St. Louis has been a trailblazer in postsecondary education for students with intellectual disability since the founding of the Succeed Program in 2013. New federal funding will support the expansion of that vital work. April Regester, associate professor and chair of the Department of Educator Preparation and Leadership, and her co-principal investigators at UMSL have received $2.4 million in funding from a five-year Department of Education Transition and Postsecondary Programs for Students with Intellectual Disabilities (TPSID) grant. The funding will go toward enhancing and expanding Succeed programming, strengthening vocational and academic opportunities, and improving transition services. College of Education Dean Marius Boboc lauded the award, calling it a testament to the longtime work of UMSL’s Office of Inclusive Postsecondary Education. Over the past decade, inclusive education programming at UMSL has grown rapidly, now including the Succeed, Succeed+ and Link programs, helping students develop academic, living, social and vocational skills as they work toward a two-year Chancellor’s Certificate, industry-recognized credentials or a degree program of their choice.
Regester said previous experience with a TPSID grant was instrumental in preparing for a new round of funding. That evaluation led to four goals: enhancing vocational curriculum, support services and experiences for students; promoting greater academic accessibility through campus collaborations; facilitating seamless transitions into the Succeed program and beyond it; and expanding high-quality higher education programming for students. “We have a heavy focus on improving our employment supports for students,” Regester explained. “We are shifting to expand our summer offerings, with more opportunities for our existing students,” she said. “These students that are already part of our program, we considered what we could do to support their continued learning and growth throughout the summer. We are excited to partner with the sport management program, hosting a new summer academy for disability sport and wellness.” “It is all super exciting, because I think we’re going to continue to see positive outcomes for not only our students, but all students and faculty on campus as we deepen our partnerships,” Regester said. “UMSL itself, the St. Louis region, the state, have been so supportive of the work that we do, so it really is kind of a collective celebration right now as we embark on the next five years.”
