About Us
The Foundation's mission will be accomplished via alliances with colleges and universities, utilizing technological and programmatic innovation, as well as implementation of outreach efforts and family support. These include:
- Online, specialized course offerings through existing Colleges and Universities. These course tracks will mirror the progression of a typical core and elective college curriculum, but will be optimized and modified to accommodate the unique learning styles of students on the autism spectrum.
- Music and Fine Arts education tracks for both intended "majors" and "non-majors." The "major" tracks will allow individuals on the autism spectrum with passion for music or the Arts to pursue further training. "Non-major" tracks will allow those with an interest in music and art to pursue personal enrichment in these areas. Both tracks will be offered in collaboration with existing Music Conservatories, Art Schools, and related music and art education schools.
- Development of training, assistance, and support protocols for college educators and administrators in effective educational/behavioral techniques for teaching individuals on the autism spectrum.
- Advocacy and outreach for families to simultaneously ensure that students with autism can access these new educational opportunities and foster public awareness at a national and international level of the critical need for individuals on the autism spectrum to have lifelong learning opportunities in order to enhance quality of life and create meaningful employment opportunities.
Access to higher education courses will be achieved via the use and development of novel tools, curriculum adaptations, interface technologies, augmentative communication devices, and customized programming, as well as through the employment of autism education specialists so that courses can be tailored appropriately. These augmentations will be designed to address and target the learning profiles of the individual students.
These specialized offerings will be created in consultation with the Autism Higher Education Foundation's Scientific/Educational Advisory Board and Parent Advisory Board. These two bodies are composed of both established clinical and educational experts, as well as valued stakeholders, whose concurrent and continued input will ensure that interventions remain current and relevant to the ever-evolving body of knowledge regarding the needs of individuals with autism spectrum disorders.
