Idaho Employment Capacity Leveraged through IPSE

08/06/2025

ECLIPSE supports IPSE programs to create necessary skills and knowledge to improve employability for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities, including PEERS at Boise State University!

🌟 Kathy is the Competitive Integrated Employment Specialist for PEERS. Kathy develops strategies and provides support to students including career development, skills training, and workplace advocacy to support students in achieving and sustaining employment.

Welcome Kathy to the ECLIPSE team!

07/31/2025

ECLIPSE Partners with Center on Disabilities and Human Development (CDHD) to assist in program activities, including training our peer job coaches. Meet the CDHD crew that assists ECLIPSE!

🌟 Dr. Erik Luuvas, Clinical Assistant Professor and Director of Interdisciplinary Training Program at CDHD, directs the onboarding and training of ECLIPSE Peer Job Coaches at each Institution of Higher Education across the state.

🌟 Olivia Lebens, Interdisciplinary Training Coordinator at CDHD, supports the Peer Job Coaches as they will be considered Interdisciplinary Trainees. As trainees, Peer Job Coaches will have opportunities to engage in interdisciplinary professional development, which includes learning about Idaho systems and policies that support individuals with disabilities.

07/26/2025

Today we celebrate 35 years of the American with Disabilities Act! 🥳 This landmark legislation has helped create a more accessible society, including within employment and education.

Learn more about how you can celebrate ADA’s anniversary here: https://adaanniversary.org/

07/24/2025

Next up on the ECLIPSE team, meet Meikah!

🌟 Dr. Meikah Dado is the Evaluation and Dissemination Coordinator for ECLIPSE. She supports ECLIPSE through creating and conducting monitoring and evaluation initiatives, as well as coordinating program marketing and dissemination efforts.

07/17/2025

ECLIPSE works with three Inclusive Post-Secondary Education (IPSE) programs across the state of Idaho, including Vandals QUEST at the University of Idaho. Meet Bethany, Competitive Integrated Specialist!

🌟 Bethany is the go-to for all things QUEST. She works with students and employers to build pathways to paid employment. In QUEST, students work with Bethany to learn a variety of topics such as employability skills, navigating workplace expectations, exploring career paths, and planning for their future. QUEST also consults with employers to develop internship and job pathways, and support them in hiring and sustaining employment for students.

We're thrilled to have Bethany on the ECLIPSE team!

07/10/2025

ECLIPSE is supported by incredible personnel to ensure program success! Meet three of the individuals driving ECLIPSE forward, Drs. Scheef, Pratt, and Ford.

🌟 Dr. Andrew Scheef, Director of ECLIPSE and Associate Professor at University of Idaho, oversees ECLIPSE personnel and manages reporting to the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA), who funds ECLIPSE. He also provides programmatic support for Vandals QUEST inclusive postsecondary education (IPSE) program.

🌟 Dr. Peighton Pratt, Associate Director of ECLIPSE, supervises and trains CIE Specialists and peer job coaches across IPSE programs in Idaho, ensuring consistent and high-quality implementation of employment supports. She collaborates with state and national partners, assists with grant management and reporting, and leads the planning of the annual IPSE student conference.

🌟 Dr. Jeremy Ford is the Co-Principal Director for ECLISPE, Associate Professor of Special Education at Boise State University, and Director of the PEERS Program. The PEERS Program began in the fall of 2020 and has nine alumni as of the spring of 2025. The program is recognized by the United States Department of Education as a Comprehensive Transition Program, and 20 students are expected to be enrolled in the fall of 2025.

07/02/2025

July is Disability Pride Month! Let's celebrate the strength and diversity of the disability community, while advocating for a more inclusive world.

06/23/2025

Grace delivered a phenomenal keynote address at the 2025 CONNECT Conference 🤩 We were honored to have her share about her journey and offer valuable perspectives to students, families, and professionals!

At the 2nd Annual The Northwest Inclusive Postsecondary Education Alliance Capacity Building Institute, Grace Medina— a graduate of the OU Sooner Works program at the The University of Oklahoma — gave a powerful keynote titled IPSE to Meaningful Employment! 👏 She shared her personal story, highlighting the challenges she faced and the successes she’s had on her journey from college to competitive integrated employment.

Grace’s confident, compelling delivery was the result of hard work and preparation, including her fantastic participation in the Think College Network’s Presentation Skills Coaching Model, co-led with Westchester Institute For Human Development. We were so proud to see Grace shine on stage! 🌟

06/19/2025

What an incredible conference! 🤩 The CONNECT Conference, in partnership with The Northwest Inclusive Postsecondary Education Alliance, brought together students, industry professionals, and family and support individuals. The results are in! Check out the highlights ⬇️

06/16/2025

ECLIPSE brings together all three of Idaho’s IPSE programs into a unified effort to support students with intellectual and development disabilities in securing competitive integrated employment.

Idaho is also a part of NWIPSEA, a regional alliance working with neighboring states to expand inclusive college opportunities. All of this is connected through Think College, the national hub for IPSE technical assistance, research, and training for the United States. Curious about what’s happening in your state? Explore this resource from Think College to learn more!

Wondering what's going on in your state pertaining to inclusive higher ed? 🗺 Our page on our website and click any state on the map to see available information on activities related to postsecondary education for students with intellectual disability in that state, including:

🎓 What higher education programs are available for students with
intellectual disability
🏛 If there are policies and/or legislation related to postsecondary education for students with intellectual disability, we provide a link to that policy/legislation
📍If there is a statewide and/or regional alliance for inclusive postsecondary education in your state, a link to information about that organization is provided.
📨 We also include contact information for someone in the state who can talk to you about postsecondary education for students with intellectual disability.

Head to https://buff.ly/P7wFm99 to learn more about what's happening in your area!

06/13/2025

🌟What is ECLIPSE? 🌟

ECLIPSE stands for Employment Capacity Leveraged through Inclusive Post-Secondary Education, a United States Department of Education, Rehabilitation Services Administration funded grant. ECLIPSE is a statewide initiative in Idaho with three overarching goals aimed to support students with intellectual and developmental disabilities in inclusive post-secondary education (IPSE) and achieving competitive integrated employment (CIE).

Here’s how ECLIPSE is making an impact:
1️⃣ Supporting Inclusive Post-Secondary Education (IPSE)
We support Idaho’s three IPSE programs, University of Idaho’s Vandal QUEST, Boise State’s PEERS, and Lewis-Clark State College’s SPARC, to create authentic work experiences, foster campus collaboration, and strengthen interagency collaboration.
2️⃣ Student Development
Student development is fostered through a variety of activities including support from peer job coaches, delivering instruction, attending the annual conference, and developing further youth leadership opportunities.
3️⃣ Awareness and Opportunities
We’re growing the IPSE network across Idaho, promoting CIE, supporting policy change, and hosting innovative events like reverse career fairs.

Combined, these goals are supporting CIE and IPSE across Idaho.

05/24/2025

Day two of CONNECT was a full day for our ECLIPSE and The Northwest Inclusive Postsecondary Education Alliance attendees! They engaged in more thought-provoking workshop sessions featuring student workshops led by Career Services: University of Idaho and participated in an employer panel that covered navigating communication between employer and employee with a disability. To top it all off, some lucky attendees walked away with fantastic door prizes! 🎉