On the recordMay 5, 2015
Mr. President, I wish to congratulate 11 students who will be graduating tomorrow at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro. While celebrations will abound across our country for the class of 2015, I want to highlight this very special group who, I must say, stands above the rest for their achievement. The University of North Carolina at Greensboro works with its nonprofit partner Beyond Academics to provide students who have intellectual and developmental disabilities a 4-year course of study that promotes self-determination, life planning, and career development. They call it the Integrative Community Studies program. These students learn how to build their own lives through employment and self-sufficient living. I have long supported these efforts and believe that anyone who cares about outcomes for individuals with disabilities should look no further than UNC-G and Beyond Academics as an example for promoting success. This is a particularly special graduation day as it is the fifth graduating class since this course of study was created, and is the largest class to date. In sum, a total of 34 graduates are now better prepared to live self-sufficient lives that will not only make themselves better, but the community around them better as well. I couldn't be prouder of all of them. What started only about a decade ago as a community-wide effort in my homestate, has grown to, in my opinion, one of the most exciting things being done in the country for this community.…





