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Center Overview

The major goals of the Clearinghouse, formerly known as the HEATH Resource Center, are to collect information, develop products, and disseminate information and materials relevant to multiple audiences in order to establish and maintain a national network exchange of information about postsecondary education for students with disabilities. The PRIDE network will also work to expand the scope and reach of the Clearinghouse to engage a broader audience in provision of supports to postsecondary education for individuals with disabilities to reach their potential. The PRIDE Network will collaborate with existing partner groups to build on the work of the previous clearinghouse (i.e., HEATH) and will ensure that collection, development, and dissemination activities are accessible to all in accessible formats and languages. The PRIDE Network will effectively incorporate new technologies; will customize information to target audiences; and will have rapid, thorough responses to requests.

Methods

The PRIDE Network will accomplish its goals by maintaining a resource library, responding to requests in a timely fashion, and developing and disseminating accessible resources in a variety of formats. Expanded outreach will include nontraditional and previously untapped audiences in the effort to build a comprehensive network for all people with disabilities. Through collaborative efforts systemic change through the scope and spread of the innovation, choice made for particular intervention materials, mutual information and feedback exchange between providers and users, and full implementation of new practices. The PRIDE Network will facilitate this necessary collaboration to bring about an improvement in the dissemination and use of information and materials relevant to postsecondary individuals with disabilities. Four major audiences will be addressed in the PRIDE Network's dissemination and utilization practices. The first audience includes traditional secondary education personnel who have a major influence on the postsecondary readiness and transition of students, such as special education teachers, guidance counselors, and school-to-work facilitators. Postsecondary education, the secondary audience, includes such settings as minority institutions and outreach programs, community and four-year colleges, and vocational training. The third audience encompasses government entities and community-based programs, such as corrections, military, welfare-to-work programs, work force investment/development, and refugee programs. The fourth audience comprises nontraditional postsecondary education such as apprenticeships, adult basic education, GED preparation, employers, and centers for independent living. All audiences will help identify gaps in needed information so that accessible resources and materials can be developed to address those needs.