ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ

ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ’s award-winning, nationally recognized neurodiversity support programs—Bridges to ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ and the Learning Resource Program—are expanding their efforts to provide individualized and comprehensive academic, social and vocational services for the transition from high school to college and beyond for neurodiverse students.

Sean Culkin ’17, MS ’22, chose ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ because Bridges to ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ offered the support he needed as an autistic student.

A globally renowned expert in the field of autism has now earned an Emmy Award for his work on a PBS children's show. Dr. Shore, who is on the spectrum, advised the show's creators on how to accurately portray neurodivergence.

As a 2025 National Science Foundation-funded scholar at UC Irvine’s Summer Institute in Neuroscience Program, Gordon F. Derner School of Psychology student Juliana Morsello conducted research on diffusion kurtosis imaging as a way to identify biomarkers in Alzheimer’s disease—a highly competitive opportunity that immersed her in hands-on neuroscience research not often experienced by undergraduates. Morsello’s…

One of the nation's most prominent advocates for people on the autism spectrum, Stephen Shore, EdD, has taken his message to more than 50 countries. This March, Dr. Shore—who is on the spectrum himself—is going to Germany to give the opening keynote address at the Euro-Global Summit on Autism Research and Awareness.

A new program for Bridges to ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ alumni, symbolically named Bridges From ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ, aims to empower its graduates through career guidance, advocacy and inclusive partnerships with employers.

Clinical associate professor Stephen Shore advises the first PBS Kids show headlined by a character with autism

This spring, Love Serving Autism teamed up with USTA Eastern to hold a special event on the campus of ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ in Garden City, empowering coaches and instructors with approaches, skills and techniques to teach tennis to neurodivergent students.

Strong support for successful programs and an openness to voices from the campus community helped ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ become one of just 10 universities out of approximately 200 in New York state to earn a 2024 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity.

For the seventh consecutive year, INSIGHT Into Academia magazine has recognized ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ with its annual Higher Education Excellence and Distinction (HEED) Award.

Sophie Breslow ‘24, now an MSW candidate, credits the Learning Resource Program for her successful college experience and preparing her to support other neurodivergent students navigating their own college journeys.

Despite proven potential to thrive at the college level, neurodivergent students often face challenges. ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ’s answer is the innovative Bridges to ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ program, offering academic coaching, career training and a first-in-the-nation sensory room to boost student success. This award-winning program is a national model for providing equity and access to higher education.

Virtual fall and spring workshops provide tools and strategies so that CAS faculty can help students succeed in the classroom.

Faculty, administrators and students continue to raise awareness and advocate for the neurodivergent community.

With a generous gift of $25,000, Deborah Viola ’84, PhD, established the endowed Daniel Viola Family Scholarship for Neurodiversity.

The Bridges to ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ program and Gersh Drivers Ed are partnering to help college students on the autism spectrum get their licenses.

The Bridges to ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ program has partnered with TD Bank to assist students on the autism spectrum manage their personal finances.

Among a national field of 1,400 programs, Bridges to ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ received the highest 2021–2022 honor from the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators. Our Grand Gold recognition is for outstanding inclusion of neurodiverse students in career planning, student life and hands-on academics.

For the fourth year in a row, ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ has won a top national award for its commitment to fostering diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) on its campus.

In 2018, ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ made history by opening the country's first sensory room at a college or university. The sensory room provides a calming refuge for students and others in the campus community who are on the autism spectrum or have other sensory special needs.

When the COVID-19 pandemic forced hundreds of colleges and universities to shutter their campuses, a group of ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ students came up with an idea: They'd build a digital replica of the Garden City campus in the popular game Minecraft so they could have a virtual college experience.

Our commitment to equity and academic opportunities for all students shines through ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ’s Learning Resource Program—the first of its kind on a college campus—and our Bridges to ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ Program, for students on the spectrum.

ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ is known for helping each student find their own unique path. Alumna and ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ Trustee Emily Ladau ’13 became a disability advocate, speaker, author of the forthcoming book Demystifying Disability, and a warrior for inclusion and justice. We’re proud to be involved in her important work.

In 2007, ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ launched Bridges to ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ, an award-winning program that helps students on the autism spectrum or who have nonverbal learning disabilities transition to college life and succeed academically and socially.

The rigorous Internship Preparation Seminar helps students like Jenisa Caban '18 build the skills they need to land coveted placements.