{"id":32600,"date":"2026-01-09T12:49:52","date_gmt":"2026-01-09T17:49:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom2\/2026\/01\/09\/state-awards-necc-180000-for-continued-support-for-students-with-disabilities\/"},"modified":"2026-05-19T14:34:26","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T18:34:26","slug":"state-awards-necc-180000-for-continued-support-for-students-with-disabilities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/2026\/01\/09\/state-awards-necc-180000-for-continued-support-for-students-with-disabilities\/","title":{"rendered":"State Awards NECC $180,000 for Continued Support for Students with Disabilities"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Boston, MA (January 8, 2026) \u2014 Northern Essex Community College will receive $180,000 to continue to support students with disabilities participating in Massachusetts Inclusive Postsecondary Education (MAIPSE) programs. <a href=\"https:\/\/necc.edu\/academics\/academic-support-services\/center-for-accessibility-resources-services\/ma-inclusive-concurrent-enrollment-initiative-maicei-program\/\">MAIPSE<\/a> enables certain students with severe disabilities to participate in undergraduate academic courses, extracurricular activities, internships, work experiences, and on-campus student life activities.\u202fThis includes students with intellectual disabilities, severe autism spectrum disorder, and severe developmental disabilities.<\/p>\n<p>The continued funding is part of a $3.6 million award announced by the Healey-Driscoll Administration to support or implement MAIPSE programs across the state&#8217;s public colleges and universities.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re lifting barriers for students across our public higher education system,\u201d said\u00a0Governor Maura Healey.\u00a0\u201cThese grants\u00a0open\u00a0doors to the college experience for students with disabilities,\u00a0so that they can\u00a0grow\u00a0their knowledge, skills, and workforce readiness\u00a0through engagement in classes and campus life.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur entire state benefits when higher education opportunities are as inclusive as possible,\u201d said\u00a0Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. \u201cI\u2019m proud that Massachusetts\u00a0has\u00a0prioritized giving\u00a0students with disabilities access to\u00a0the many benefits of higher education.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In April 2025, the Board of Higher Education\u202funanimously approved\u202fthe administration\u2019s proposed regulations\u202fthat established the MAIPSE program. These regulations stem from the state\u2019s fiscal year 2023 budget, which required all Massachusetts public undergraduate colleges and universities to be prepared to offer opportunities for those students 18 and over with severe disabilities who are otherwise not able to achieve the underlying requirements needed to secure a high school diploma. Under the 2023 law and these implementing regulations, such students can participate in courses as non-matriculating students with their nondisabled peers and engage in other aspects of campus life. Prior to 2022, these opportunities were limited to students ages 18-22.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cStudents, regardless of ability, deserve opportunities to engage in the critical thinking\u00a0and skill development that comes from going to college,\u201d said\u00a0Secretary of Higher Education Patrick\u00a0Tutwiler. \u201cThese grants will grow and strengthen inclusive enrollment programs\u00a0that\u00a0are\u00a0crucial to higher education equity.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m grateful to the Healey-Driscoll Administration for supporting inclusive enrollment, and to our colleges and universities for prioritizing\u00a0serving all students well,\u201d said\u00a0Commissioner of Higher Education Noe Ortega.\u201cThese grants\u00a0build on momentum after the state adopted\u00a0strong and well-informed regulations to guide MAIPSE programs, and we\u2019re heading in the right direction on having a public higher education system that is accessible to all.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/necc.edu\/academics\/academic-support-services\/center-for-accessibility-resources-services\/ma-inclusive-concurrent-enrollment-initiative-maicei-program\/\">MAIPSE<\/a> program at Northern Essex is managed by the Center for Accessibility Resources and Services (CARS). CARS facilitates accommodations to provide equal access and support services to all Northern Essex programs and activities. Learn more by visiting the <a href=\"https:\/\/necc.edu\/academics\/academic-support-services\/center-for-accessibility-resources-services\/\">webpage<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>FY26\u00a0Planning and Implementation Grants\u00a0<\/strong><br \/>\nGreenfield Community College:\u00a0$148,860<br \/>\nMassachusetts College of Liberal Arts:\u00a0$103,235<br \/>\nUMass Lowell:\u00a0$150,207<br \/>\nBunker Hill Community College:\u00a0$160,000<br \/>\nMassachusetts Maritime Academy:\u00a0$111,468<br \/>\nMount Wachusett Community College:\u00a0$132,335<\/p>\n<p><strong>FY26\u00a0Continuation Grants\u00a0<\/strong><br \/>\nBridgewater State University \u2013 Day:\u00a0$137,610<br \/>\nBridgewater State University \u2013 Residence Life:\u00a0$239,251<br \/>\nBristol Community College:\u00a0$187,050<br \/>\nCape Cod Community College:\u00a0$185,800<br \/>\nFitchburg State University:\u00a0$225,019<br \/>\nFramingham State University:\u00a0$159,945<br \/>\nHolyoke Community College:\u00a0$76,740<br \/>\nMassachusetts College of Art &amp; Design:\u00a0$128,343<br \/>\nMassasoit Community College:\u00a0$157,949<br \/>\nMiddlesex Community College:\u00a0$148,312<br \/>\nNorthern Essex Community College:\u00a0$180,000<br \/>\nQuinsigamond\u00a0Community College:\u00a0$148,993<br \/>\nSalem State University \u2013 Day:\u00a0$159,974<br \/>\nSalem State University \u2013 Residence Life:\u00a0$186,313<br \/>\nUMass Amherst:\u00a0$180,000<br \/>\nUMass Boston:\u00a0$176,032<br \/>\nWestfield State University:\u00a0$266,579<br \/>\nWorcester State University:\u00a0$160,000<\/p>\n<p><em>This article is adapted from a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mass.gov\/news\/healey-driscoll-administration-awards-36-million-to-support-higher-education-students-with-disabilities\">press release<\/a> from the Healey-Driscoll Administration.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Boston, MA (January 8, 2026) \u2014 Northern Essex Community College will receive $180,000 to continue to support students with disabilities participating in Massachusetts Inclusive Postsecondary Education (MAIPSE) programs. MAIPSE enables [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":130,"featured_media":22570,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[17,681],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-32600","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-programs","category-mobile"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>State Awards NECC $180,000 for Continued Support for Students with Disabilities - NECC News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Northern Essex Community College will receive $180,000 to continue to support students with disabilities participating in Massachusetts Inclusive Postsecondary Education (MAIPSE) programs.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/2026\/01\/09\/state-awards-necc-180000-for-continued-support-for-students-with-disabilities\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"State Awards NECC $180,000 for Continued Support for Students with Disabilities - 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