Until the past decade, college wasn't much of an option for students who have significant intellectual impairments. Vanderbilt University's Next Steps program is one of many created for students with severe cognitive disabilities in the last 10 years. The programs have grown in number from about 15 in 2002 to almost 170 now, as tracked by Think College, a Boston organization that does research about this new breed of programs and offers guidance about them for professionals, families, and students. The growth is due in part to changes in federal law that have increased the expectations of such students in elementary and secondary school. Earlier this year, a national study found that six years after high school, students with disabilities were less likely than peers to have attended any college--55 percent compared with 62 percent, though that includes students with all types of disabilities. Among people with intellectual disabilities, the rate of employment is just 9 percent. The push for creating college opportunities for students with disabilities has also come from parents and advocacy groups.