Oklahoma university launches full-support program for students on autism spectrum

Daily Oklahoman - 8/9/2017

Aug. 09--CHICKASHA -- The academic year begins Aug 21 at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma with a new support program for students with autism spectrum disorder.

Three students will participate this fall, said Cathy Perri, who developed the program to assist ASD students in academic and social progress so they can earn a bachelor's degree.

USAO is "an ideal fit for students on the spectrum," Perri said. "A lot of these students' strengths are in science and the arts."

In addition, the liberal arts college has small class sizes, a campus that is easy to navigate, an interdisciplinary focus and a mission as the 'college for the curious mind,' she said.

Perri, whose son will be one of the first-semester participants, approached USAO President John Feaver about creating a center for ASD students after she was unable to find such a full-support program anywhere in Oklahoma.

She was working for the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education at the time and researching options for her son who was going to graduate from high school in May 2017.

Feaver was interested and Perri began looking for money to fund the idea. A combination of private donations -- including a gift from USAO supporters Phillip Wint and Katie Neill Wint -- and a $100,000 grant from the Inasmuch Foundation made it a reality.

"The creation of the Neill-Wint Center for Neurodiversity is a milestone, not only for USAO but for higher education in Oklahoma," Feaver said. "We are totally committed to making our campus aware of both the profound strengths and the unique needs of individuals on the autism spectrum."

Perri, whose background is in special education speech pathology, was hired to be director of the new center.

She said faculty and students are being trained to assist the center participants and recognize their needs.

"I'm thrilled. It's actually going to happen," Perri said. "It's exciting that moving forward some of these students will have a place to succeed and have a better life."

Participating students must meet the USAO admissions standards and must maintain full-time enrollment.

They will have specially trained faculty advisers, staff coaches and peer mentors to help them navigate the academic, social and emotional paths of college life. They will live in on-campus apartments and have trained residential assistants available around the clock. The assistants will offer instructional sessions on a variety of life skills, from budgeting and banking to meal planning and cooking.

Perri said the center is one of only about 15 full-support programs for ASD students in the nation. The nearest is at the University of Arkansas, where participants must pay full tuition plus $8,000 a year, she said.

USAO's program will charge center participants a much smaller fee beginning in fall 2018, Perri said. No fee will be charged the first year while the program gets underway.

"We hope that the program will become nationally recognized and respected, bringing special students to USAO from around the world," Phillip Wint said.

For more information about the program, contact Perri at cperri@usao.edu or at 405-574-1293.