Transition & Access Pathways
What is TAP?
The Transition and Access Pathways (TAP) program is a full-time, four-year college experience for students with intellectual or developmental disabilities (IDD). Aligned with the University of Cincinnati’s Next Lives Here strategic direction, TAP helps students grow through academic achievement, career readiness, personal development, and strong social connections.
The program is designed to encourage and support students as they experience college alongside their peers, offering an inclusive and engaging environment. It is grounded in the Think College Standards, which guide the development of high-quality postsecondary opportunities for students with intellectual disability.
TAP is designed for our graduates to become and stay independent in the areas of:
- Employment
- Independent Living
- Self-Determination
- Executive Functioning
- Social Relationships
- Life-Long Learning
- Community Connections
TAP students live on campus or commute and earn a university-recognized certificate upon completing the program.
TAP's Four Pillars
In TAP, students Live, Work, Learn, and Lead. Students set self-determined goals aligned with these pillars each year during their person-centered planning meetings with TAP staff.
Live
TAP students live inclusively in UC residence halls under college-level supervision. They share a room with other TAP students and live on co-ed floors. Freshmen and sophomores typically live in 2-bedroom suites in Marian Spencer Hall, and juniors and seniors live in apartment-style suites in Scioto Hall. Students are encouraged to consider living off-campus in their senior year to practice independent living while still having TAP support. Students whose parents live within 30 miles of the University of Cincinnati’s Clifton campus are not required to live on campus but may if they choose to.
In both semesters of junior year, students take a Daily Living Skills course that teaches kitchen safety, kitchen skills, simple recipes, and meal planning.
In this pillar, students are supported by the Campus Life Coordinator, Independent Living Coaches, and TAP’s partnerships with UC Housing and Resident Education & Development.
Work
Through coursework and internships, TAP students set goals, participate in career exploration, prepare for internships, build workplace readiness skills, and prepare for the transition to work after TAP.
Students take a TAP vocational course each semester. Freshmen courses focus on career exploration. Other vocational courses focus on skill development, including soft skills, resume development, interview practice, and career fairs.
TAP students have a minimum of 6 semesters of credit-bearing internships. Internships can be on- or off-campus, unpaid or paid, and are related to developing skills aligned with students’ career goals. Travel training is provided for off-campus internships.
In this pillar, Students are supported by the Vocational Coordinator, the IDD Education Center Director of Job Development, and job coaches. TAP has a dedicated Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor from Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities and coordinates with Vocational Rehabilitation in students’ home states.
Learn
TAP students are full-time University of Cincinnati students, taking 12–18 credit hours each semester. Over four years, students complete 96+ credit hours of TAP courses, UC electives, and credit-bearing internships.
TAP courses focus on vocational skills, social development, executive functioning, and independent living. Each semester, students take one UC elective related to their career goals, which may be audited or taken for credit. This course of study is approved by the university.
First through third-year students also take an Academic Support course, where they work with academic coaches to build executive functioning skills and plan their coursework. Weekly study tables, led by academic coaches, provide dedicated time for homework and skill-building.
In this pillar, TAP students receive additional academic support from the program’s Academic Coordinator and academic coaches. They are also guided in using accommodations through UC’s Accessibility Resources.
Lead
TAP students are full UC students upon enrollment. They have access to all campus facilities, organizations, and events. Students work with their life coaches and TAP staff to identify clubs that they are interested in and work to make a plan to attend those clubs.
A coach plans a TAP Activity Night at least twice a month, and all TAP students are invited to attend. This gives students a place to socialize while they are still learning the skills and steps to making social plans. TAP’s goal is for students to learn to plan their own leisure time, find a sense of belonging in their community, and make meaningful, reciprocated friendships so they can use those skills to create a social network after TAP.
In this pillar, Students are supported by the Campus Life Coordinator, life coaches, and activity coaches.
What to Expect Your First Semester
Student Schedules
Student schedules change each semester based on their courses, internships, and TAP program supports. The schedule below is only an example. It does not reflect a student’s actual schedule. Every student’s schedule will look different based on their classes and support needs.
Transition to College
Incoming freshmen students are required to attend the Summer Workshop in the summer before starting TAP. Students live on campus for a week, practice campus navigation, register for fall courses, register with Accessibility Resources, set up technology, and participate in UC Bearcats Bound Orientation.
Welcome Week
All TAP students are required to move in at the start of Welcome Week, the week before classes start in the fall. Students participate in Bearcats Welcome events and TAP programming to get ready for the semester.