A new accreditation council, staffed by volunteers, has been created to ensure that colleges and universities serving students with intellectual disabilities meet quality standards, reports insidehighered.com.

“The evaluation of programs can work ‘in tandem’ with expanding college access and providing helpful information to students and their families ‘about what they’re going to get and what they’re going to experience’ before a student decides to enroll,” Martha Mock, a clinical education professor and executive director for the council, told the website.

The council was created through Think College, which is funded by the U.S.  Department of Ed. Think College provides resources, technical assistance and training related to college options for students with intellectual disabilities, and manages the only national listing of college programs for students with intellectual disabilities in the U.S.

Think College’s incredibly helpful directory, which it says is the only one of its kind to feature information on 316 postsecondary education programs for students with intellectual disabilities, can be found here.

UPDATE: Disability Scoop reports that five programs are expected to go through the accreditation process “between now and the 2024-2025 academic year,” and that the agency plans to petition the U.S. Department of Education and the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity to be recognized as a program accreditor.

And if you want to learn more about the council, here’s an nterview with Mock.