The Office of Disability Services (ODS) will host an event called “Understanding Students on the Autism Spectrum” to discuss ways in which students and faculty can create a system of support and inclusion as autistic students come to Texas State.
The event’s speakers include Gavin Steiger, the director of ODS, and Clare Duffy, a supervising psychologist at the Texas State Counseling Center. The event will take place at 11 a.m. on April 6 via Zoom.
Lori Wischnewsky, a doctoral student whose focus is on non-academic support programs, said there has been a massive increase in autistic student college enrollment over the last 10 years and that those numbers are rising. Wischnewsky believes that the best thing students and faculty can do to help austistic students is to educate themselves
“We’ve kind of been given these stereotypes in the media, and so we think every autistic student looks a certain way, but that’s just not the case,” Wischnewsky said.
The evet’s speakers include Director of ODS Gavin Steiger and Clare Duffy, supervising psychologist at the Texas State Counseling Center.
ODS is dedicated to ensuring that students with disabilities get equal access to all university programs and activities through the coordination of academic accommodations and support services.
Harlan Ballard, an outreach coordinator for ODS, said the objective of the virtual event is to teach people about autism.
“The objective is [that] when people come to this presentation they will get to learn about autism,” Ballard said. “They’ll learn to recognize some of the symptoms of students on the spectrum”
This event is not only a way for students and faculty to learn more about what autism looks like and how to support those with it, but it is also a way for students and faculty to learn more about ODS and how it supports students.
Anusha Chintapilli, an ODS outreach graduate assistant, said that she, like many other students, did not learn about ODS until her last semester and she hopes that this event will allow students to get to know about the services that are available to students.
“Whenever we conduct an event, many students will come and say ‘we didn’t know about this office,’” Chintapilli said.
Wischnewsky said that attending these events will benefit the students and allow them to learn about what ODS does for students.
“ODS does an amazing job,” Wischnewsky said. “I highly recommend students attend these events. They just have so much information and are a great resource on campus.”
To register to attend “Understanding Students on the Autism Spectrum,” visit https://signup.txstate.edu/sessions/8816-understanding-students-on-the-autism-spectrum.
Editor’s Note: A printed and previously uploaded version of this story was accompanied by an illustration that has been removed as the editors were made aware of its problematic meaning. A new illustration has been added.
