June 2, 2017

Autism Speaks U brings Autism Awareness to Colleges and Universities


The Autism Speaks U program supports students, faculty members and alumni in their awareness and fundraising efforts to support Autism Speaks and its mission. Autism Speaks is enhancing lives today and accelerating a spectrum of solutions for tomorrow. Since its inception at Penn State in 2006, Autism Speaks U has raised millions of dollars to help fund the mission of Autism Speaks through student-organized events and Walk Teams.

Our chapters, led by their president(s) and vice president(s), are made up of students on the spectrum, students who have family members or friends on the spectrum, or students who want to make a difference in the autism community. Throughout the semester, chapters:

  • Have one-on-one advisement calls with the Student Initiatives Team in the beginning of each semester
  • Attend three webinars hosted by Student Initiatives
  • Host fundraising events, volunteer within their local autism community, and host other events to provide a greater understanding and acceptance of autism
  • Fill out a semester report to summarize the work they did and provide feedback on the Autism Speaks U program and how it can continue to grow.

Autism Speaks’ Mission

Autism Speaks is dedicated to promoting solutions, across the spectrum and throughout the life span, for the needs of individuals with autism and their families. We do this through advocacy and support; increasing understand and acceptance of autism spectrum disorder; and advancing research into causes and better interventions for autism spectrum disorder and related conditions. Through partnerships and collaboration, we are committed to:

  • Increasing global understanding and acceptance of autism
  • Being a catalyst for research breakthroughs
  • Increasing early-childhood screening & timely interventions
  • Improving the transition to adulthood
  • Ensuring access to reliable information & services throughout the life span

If you’d like to start an Autism Speaks U chapter at your college/university, please register at www.Autismspeaks.org/U. For more information on the program in general, please reach out to David Berenbaum, Sr. Coordinator, Student Initiatives, at [email protected].

About the Author

Walewska M. Watkins is the neurotypical mother of an Autistic child. Ms. Watkins has a Juris Doctor from the Georgetown University Law Center and an LLM from the Tulane University Law School. She is licensed to practice law in the Commonwealth of Virginia as well as in New York, California, the District of Columbia, and her native Puerto Rico.