Register now for fast-approaching College Inclusion Summit
The College Autism Network‘s annual College Inclusion Summit is just six weeks away, on Oct. 23, 24 and 25, 2019. This year’s Summit is being held right here at Vanderbilt University, and is co-hosted by the Frist Center for Autism and Innovation. You can register here.
The Inclusion Summit convenes scholars, practitioners, college administrators, and autism self-advocates. The aim of the Summit is to explore research-driven ways to support college students with autism and other learning differences. This year’s convention is the third annual meeting, and will take place in the Vanderbilt Student Life Center.
At 4:30pm on the opening afternoon of the Summit, attendees can view a special screening of the new film Autism Goes to College. That screening will be followed by the opening reception and keynote address. The next day, Oct. 24th, will be filled with workshops, panels and the opportunity to interact with vendors. There will be one final workshop hour and panel on the 25th. To see the full schedule, visit the Summit website.
Previous Inclusion Summit participants have shared glowing praise of the event.
“The Summit is an extraordinary gathering of college autism support professionals. If you are in the early stages of developing a support program, it’s the perfect place to learn from more experienced colleagues. If you already have a well-established program, you will learn about cutting-edge research and be rejuvenated by the energy of this creative, dedicated group,” said Eric Endlich, the founder of Top College Consultants. “I went last year, and am eager to return.”
Sarah McMaine-Render, the Program Manager of the Kelly Autism Program at Western Kentucky University, added that “the culture of the conference is very open and collaborative. If you are serving students with autism at the collegiate level, this conference is a must.”
The Summit organizers have collaborated with three local hotels – the Hilton Garden Inn-Vanderbilt, the Hampton Inn-Vanderbilt, and the Holiday Inn-Vanderbilt – to provide discounted room rates. Each of these hotels provides shuttle service to Vanderbilt’s campus. The deadline to take advantage of the hotel discount is Monday, Sep. 23rd. If you would like to connect with a roommate, email the College Autism Network for help finding one.
The keynote speaker will be Dr. Jane Thierfeld Brown. Dr. Brown is an Assistant Clinical Professor at Yale Child Study in the Yale Medical School, and the Director of the group College Autism Spectrum. She has co-authored three books relating to the college experience of autistic people.
Conference check-in will begin at noon on the 23rd and the closing session will wrap up at noon on the 25th. The deadline to submit your registration is Wednesday, Oct. 16th. You can register here.