The State University of New York at New Paltz has established a fund for a three-year pilot program to support students with Autism Spectrum Disorder as they transition into college and then to employment.
Alumna Myra Kressner is funding the Kressner Family Autism Spectrum Disorder Program Fund. Kressner, a SUNY New Paltz Foundation Board director, says her daughter is on the autism spectrum and it was difficult to see her struggle with challenges and transitions at the college she attended. The Program Fund will support transitions to employment through career exploration, interviewing skills and job-readiness preparation. A seminar series will launch in January, and more than 40 students diagnosed on the spectrum who already are receiving accommodations through the Disability Resource Center at SUNY New Paltz will be invited to participate. An additional seminar series focused on building interpersonal and social skills will begin for new students in fall 2018.
