Idaho Employment Capacity Leveraged through IPSE

09/19/2025

🌟Welcome to the ECLIPSE Team, Lindsey! 🌟

We’re excited to introduce Lindsey, who joins us as the CIE Specialist for SPARC, one of ECLIPSE Inclusive Post-Secondary Education project sites in Idaho hosted at Lewis-Clark State College!

Lindsey works with SPARC students to develop skills for independence, strengthen employability skills, and support their transition beyond the program. Join us in giving Lindsey a warm welcome to ECLIPSE and SPARC!

09/02/2025

As the new school year begins for Idaho's Inclusive Post-Secondary Education programs, we’re excited to welcome new and returning QUEST, PEERS, and SPARC students to campus and into a year of skill-building and connection! 🌟

08/22/2025

ECLIPSE is working hard to grow competitive integrated employment opportunities for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities throughout Idaho. Curious about how CIE is growing nationwide? Explore the latest data from Think College!

Check the numbers! 🔢 In 2023-2024, for students enrolled in a Transition and Postsecondary Programs for Students with Intellectual Disabilities (TPSID) program:

📊 67% of students had a paid job or paid work-based learning experience 💼💵
📈 38% of employed students had never held a paid job before 🆕👩‍💼
🌟 A whopping 97% participated in at least one career development activity 🚀💵

Discover more outcomes from these federally funded programs—opening doors, creating career pathways, and expanding what’s possible for college students with intellectual disability—in our Annual Report at https://thinkcollege.net/resource/program-evaluation-student-outcomes/annual-report-of-the-cohort-3-tpsid-model-2.

08/21/2025

Our website is live! 🥳 Explore the new ECLIPSE webpage, now hosted on the Idaho Training Clearinghouse. Discover success stories, materials, and more at idahotc.com/Eclipse

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! 🌟