Desert Companion’s December feature "Just like anyone else" (above) profiled a local program that helps adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities get job training and, in some cases, permanent employment. In it, UNLV Assistant Professor of Special Education Joshua Baker said: “The world is inclusive, so why do we separate them? … At 18, we talk about the least restrictive environment. I argue that’s college. So why do people with intellectual disabilities have to watch their peers go off to college while they’re not allowed?”

UNLV assistant professor Josh Baker began researching ways to raise funds for students with intellectual disabilities and autism to go to college back in 2013. The program is a success. He’s August’s Shining Star.

Bailey Lamonte is ready to start college, something her parents never thought possible.