Using a Peer-Mediated Instructional Package to Teach College Students With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities to Navigate an Inclusive University Campus

Abstract

Colleges across the nation have seen an increase in programming for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) over the past decade. With this increase in programming comes the need to support students with IDD while accessing a large college campus. Using technology, such as Google Maps™, on one’s cell phone is a natural support that is relatively unobtrusive. This study used a peer-mediated instructional package consisting of total task presentation and error correction to teach college students with IDD how to use Google Maps™ to navigate a large, urban college campus in the southeastern United States. The results from this single-subject multiple probe design demonstrated that all students acquired the skills with 100% accuracy and maintained the skill once the instructional package was removed. Social validity data indicated that students thoroughly enjoyed learning the skill from the peer mediator. Implications and future research are discussed.