ICCTA Inspires Illinois General Assembly Legislation HR 219 'Neurodiversity in Higher Ed'

SPRINGFIELD, Ill., May 21, 2023 (Newswire.com) - The Illinois Community College Trustees Association ("ICCTA"), a state legislative advocacy and trustee education organization that represents 48 member colleges serving over 700,000 students, is proud to announce that legislation inspired by the work of the association and spearheaded by ICCTA President Dr. Maureen Dunne has resulted in the passage of HR 219 "Neurodiversity in Higher Ed".

For more information, consult the Regular Session Legislation information site for the 103^rd Illinois General Assembly at www.ilga.gov/legislation.

HR 219 was inspired by the Neurodiversity Inclusion Statement adopted by the ICCTA at its Board of Representatives meeting in Springfield in Fall 2022 to serve as guidance for its member colleges and trustees throughout Illinois. HR 219 garnered bipartisan support and was sponsored by Representatives Terra Costa Howard, Norine K. Hammond, Katie Stuart, Jonathan Carroll, Diane Blair-Sherlock, Robert "Bob" Rita, and Sharon Chung.

ICCTA President, Dr. Maureen Dunne, expressed her satisfaction with the legislation. "This is a landmark achievement for neurodiversity advocates. I am very grateful to everyone who has helped to support this effort and to the sponsors of HR 219 in the Illinois General Assembly."

Dr. Dunne has been a strong advocate for neurodiversity inclusion for many years. She is also a globally recognized expert in the field of neurodiversity who has worked closely with many public and private organizations to promote authentic inclusion. Dunne is partnering with global publishing giant Wiley on upcoming books related to this theme and frequently travels to conferences nationally and internationally as a keynote speaker.

Dunne remarked, "The passage of HR 219 will further spread the important message that neurodiversity-friendly policies should be a priority, especially at community colleges as a large percentage of neurodivergent students entering higher education start their journey at community colleges. Retention, persistence, and completion rates for these students are not what they should be and inclusion statements like this can inspire real change from all levels of an organization."

Dr. Dunne also recently launched a petition to express public support for neurodiversity inclusion in higher education.

Jim Reed, Executive Director of ICCTA, added, "The passage of this legislation builds on the momentum we have achieved this year at ICCTA in supporting policies that promote equitable participation for all students. We have already seen several colleges around the state of Illinois adopt ICCTA's neurodiversity inclusion statement, including Rend Lake CC, College of DuPage, and others. And we look forward to seeing that number grow."

Prior press release: ICCTA Adopts Neurodiversity Inclusion Statement at Board of (globenewswire.com)

Source: Illinois Community College Trustees Association