Postsecondary Education Programs A New Employment Opportunity for Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialists

Our nation currently has a total of 264 postsecondary education programs that are specifically designed to serve college students with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (IDD) on college and university campuses. The total number of these programs has experienced an increase of approximately 67.5% in the past six years, and this new population of college students will continue to grow. The college students who are a part of these programs have specific needs that can be, and at one university have been, fulfilled by the services and supports that Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialists (CTRSs) have to offer. With the assumption that both of the involved parties (i.e., CTRS and postsecondary education programs) are not aware of the opportunities and/or needs that exist within the other, it is our hope that an increased awareness of the important roles that therapeutic recreation can play in the overall success of this growing population of college students will lead to the development of a new workplace environment for CTRSs: postsecondary education programs.