Campus Visits
Creating supportive programming on any college begins with understanding your campus culture. The view of Autism Spectrum Disorders and the willingness to provide the services beyond those required by the Americans with Disabilities Act - Amendments Act of 2008 (ADA-AA) will shape your efforts to provide supportive programming for students with ASD. The level of programming that a campus can support depends on an array of factors and will differ from campus to campus. Any support, though, beyond required accommodations through the ADA-AA for individuals on the spectrum will benefit not only those students you work with directly, but will also influence your campus' awareness of the impact of ASD.
Higher Education professionals often speak about the importance of bringing an outside perspective to campus in the beginning stages of program development. It is difficult to see an expert in your own backyard. Because of this, we brought an individual to our campus to assist us in establishing the need on our own campus. This person provided many focused talks to administration, faculty, police, housing, staff, etc. In addition, she spent every afternoon working with our team on program development. At the end of our visit, we had an established direction with buy in from the campus community.
If you are considering developing any form of support for students with ASD on your campus, it would be beneficial to your efforts to bring our team to your campus to have these candid conversations with the various stakeholders. With professionals form outside your university talking about the necessity of providing this support, you may have a better chance at gaining campus support.
Whatever direction you choose, we can be the voice you need to solidify the need for this population. In a time of scarce resources, it is difficult to make an argument that another program is needed, but if we can present that this program can become self-sustaining in a short amount of time, your efforts may be better received.
To inquire about a campus visit, please contact Michelle Rigler directly at
423-991-5450