This study centers on relatives’ and parents’ perspectives on students with intellectual disabilities enrolled in an 18‑month inclusive postsecondary education program (IPSE) at a public university in the southwest United States. The overarching theme is how IPSE participation functions as a catalyst for change at the family-system level, extending “inclusive education” beyond access to classrooms toward independence, self-determination, and community participation outcomes that are central to international disability and inclusion agendas.​

The study’s research questions addressed: (1) how family members experience and perceive students’ involvement in IPSE; (2) what barriers and challenges families and students encounter from pre‑admission through graduation; (3) how family roles, expectations, and identities change as students gain independence; and (4) how parents perceive outcomes beyond the classroom, including home, community, and self‑image developments. These questions speak directly to global concerns about the under-representation of students with intellectual disabilities in higher education and the conditions that enable successful transitions into adulthood, particularly for students from minoritized and first-generation backgrounds.​

Conceptually, the work is grounded in inclusive education, self‑determination theory, and family-systems perspectives, with strong connections to life-course and identity development approaches. The manuscripts explicitly situate IPSE within the legislative context of the Higher Education Opportunity Act, the international inclusion movement, and emerging scholarship on culturally responsive practices at Minority Serving Institutions, themes that resonate with European policy discussions on widening participation, equity, and disability rights.​

Methodologically, the panel draws on in-depth qualitative interviews with relatives (parents, siblings, grandparents). Applied thematic analysis with rigorous coding, intercoder reliability checks, and member checking underpins each study, enabling a nuanced description of developmental processes such as “evolving goals,” “letting go,” and “developments at home and in the community.” Thematically, the contributions converge on how IPSE participation prompts shifts in parental aspirations, reduces the salience of disability labels, and reframes independence in culturally situated ways at a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI), offering transferable insights for European and international contexts seeking to design inclusive, family-engaged higher education.

The study adopted qualitative, exploratory designs tailored to an under-researched population and context, using relatives as key informants on student development and program quality. In the main multi-interview study, a non-random purposive sample of 8 families (18 relatives) of students with intellectual disabilities enrolled in an inclusive IPSE program at an Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) participated in two rounds of in depth interviews (entrance and exit), over approximately 2.5 years and two overlapping student cohorts. In the outcomes beyond the classroom study, 14 parents of graduating students participated in exit interviews as part of a secondary analysis of program-review data. Data collection relied on semi-structured, open-ended interview protocols designed to elicit rich, experience-near accounts of: prior schooling and expectations, perceived benefits and outcomes of the program, barriers and challenges (financial, logistical, communication), home and community skill generalization, and changes in self advocacy, identity, and family roles. Interviews were conducted individually with family units (e.g., single- or dual-parent) on campus and lasted 45–75 minutes, were audio recorded, de-identified, and professionally transcribed, with accuracy checks by the lead researchers. Applied thematic analysis guided data analysis, following iterative cycles of immersion, inductive line-by-line coding, development and refinement of codebooks, and construction of themes and subthemes. Multiple coders independently coded transcripts, discussed discrepancies, and adjusted coding rules; intercoder agreement was formally checked and improved from 71% to 89% through clarification of definitions and allowance of multiple codes per segment when appropriate. Validity strategies included negative case analysis, triangulation among research team members, visual modeling of thematic relationships (e.g., a “ladder to independence” path model), and member checking with participating families, who confirmed resonance of the identified themes. The HSI/TPSID program context itself functions as an important “instrument”: it is a culturally responsive, person-centered, 18-month certificate program combining inclusive coursework, independent-living training, internships, peer mentoring, and residence life on a predominantly Hispanic, first-generation campus. This setting allows the studies to capture how structural, cultural, and pedagogical features of IPSE shape family experiences in ways that can inform adaptation in other national systems, including European minority-serving institutions (MSIs) and widening participation initiatives.

Relatives described IPSE participation as transforming both students’ lives and family systems, with three recurrent outcome domains: evolving goals, challenges and barriers, and processes of letting go and repositioning parental roles. Parents reported observing substantial gains in students’ independence, functional and daily living skills, self-advocacy, and confidence, with skills generalizing from program settings into home and community routines. These developments were accompanied by expanded social networks, a stronger sense of belonging, and a more positive self-image, as students came to see themselves as college students and active community members rather than primarily as “disabled.” At the family level, results highlighted shifts from safety-focused, protective orientations toward more future-oriented, collaborative goal setting and encouragement of autonomy. Parents described the emotional and practical work of “letting go,” renegotiating identities as their adult children took on more responsibility, pursued more ambitious educational and career goals, and required different forms of support. These processes were especially salient in the HSI context, where collectivist family values and experiences of marginalisation intersected with new opportunities for higher education and employment, underscoring the need for culturally responsive, family-engaged IPSE models. The study also documented persistent systemic barriers (e.g., financial complexity, transportation constraints, communication gaps, and limited prior knowledge of higher education) that intensified stress but also functioned as “crucibles” in which students and families developed problem-solving, advocacy, and resilience. Overall, the findings suggest that inclusive university programs can serve as powerful levers for improving post school outcomes for students with intellectual disabilities and for reshaping parental expectations, but only when coupled with intentional supports such as financial literacy training, structured family communication, networking opportunities, and coordinated community partnerships, all of which have clear relevance for European and international efforts to expand inclusive higher education.

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