Bella Patton, Campus Carrier features editor

Ava Jarrell, Campus Carrier asst. features editor

The month of April highlights inclusivity through Autism Awareness Month and World Autism Awareness Day on April 2 every year. Both are opportunities to become better educated on how to support and include autistic peers, especially in college.  

In an article titled “The Prevalence of Autistic College Students in the United States,” a research team led by Bradley Cox, associate professor of higher,  adult and lifelong education at Michigan State University, estimated that 2.8%-4.0% of all undergraduate students registered with their school’s disability services were autistic. The percentage of autistic undergraduate students could be higher than this, as students who are on the autism spectrum may not necessarily seek accommodations. The prevalence of neurodivergence may lead people to assume it is already fully normalized, but damaging stereotypes as well as misinformation can dissuade people from seeking the accommodations they may need.  

The perception of the autistic community has made great strides over the past few decades, but it remains important to be informed. Often, what is perceived as normalized can easily be a stereotype that has slipped through the cracks. 

According to the United Nations website, Autism Awareness Day was first celebrated in 2008 through the advocacy of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. National Autism Awareness Month also has a rich history stretching over 50 years. According to Autism Society Heartland, Bernard Rimland, a psychologist and autism researcher, proposed the spring month for Autism Awareness in April 1970.  April coincided both with his son’s birthday and a time of new beginnings and growth. It was officially accepted by the Autism Society in 1972, and since then has held an emphasis on not only awareness, but also acceptance.  

At Berry, the Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) program provides courses that help students study a wide variety of human behavior, including psychological conditions like autism spectrum disorder. Director of the Berry College Program of Inclusive Learning and Processor of Psychology Michelle Haney helped start the ABA program at Berry. 

“Applied behavior analysis was a tool that allowed us to show that people with significant disabilities were capable of learning, and they didn’t just have to be shut away, that they could be part of the community,” Haney said. “It was an avenue of inclusion, so that’s what really attracted me to that field and the connection of autism and ABA. I came to Berry as a school psychologist, and that was the time when autism was getting a lot of recognition as a disability that had not been well understood in the early to mid ‘90s. So, I came to the area in 2000, and by 2012, we were teaching this class. There was a lot of interest, and we were putting together the ABA autism program.”  

Haney described how at first, ABA programs across the country received some bad press, but as they developed, they have seen great success. Haney said the ABA minor at Berry offers classes such as “Autism Spectrum Disorder/Developmental Disabilities” and that by following the ABA minor sequence, students can receive an autism endorsement recognized by the state of the Georgia.  

“It really takes students through the research, the practical experience and the theory that really helps our students understand how to create environments that result in significant changes for people, including changing your own behavior,” Haney said. “It launches them to really fabulous graduate programs, and we’ve had a tremendous success of our students getting fully funded into masters and Ph.D. programs. There’s not very many minors in ABA in the country, so, even if students have one ABA class, they have an advantage.”  

Haney explained that the psychology department and the ABA program are more focused on how to support autistic individuals and helping them live the best lives possible than on what causes the condition. She warmed against medical misinformation that harms the autistic community. 

“Right now, there’s a lot of controversy about what causes autism,” Haney said. “That’s what’s in the news. There’s a lot of debates about vaccines, and I feel like I could go on the record saying it’s very unlikely that it’s vaccines, because we have so much research. That just rules that out, and so much more harm is going to be done when people don’t get the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, for instance.” 

Additionally, Haney discussed the importance of including autistic people and those with other intellectual disabilities into conversations about their own lives. This fosters not only acceptance and inclusion, but also independence.  

“The disability rights movement has reclaimed the word autistic,” Haney said. “We don’t have to say ‘people with autism.’ They might choose to just call themselves autistic, and what does that mean? It’s an identity, and there’s this really important mantra for all disabilities, ‘Nothing about us without us.’ I would say that the autism community has definitely held that banner. Like, ‘Do not talk about us without us in the room.’’’ 

Haney also discussed the journey in advocating for those with intellectual disabilities in higher education. In 1975, the Unites States passed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which banned primary and secondary schools from rejecting students for any reason because of a disability. However, she said that this inclusion unfortunately did not continue into higher education.  

“They heard their peers say ‘Well, I’m going to go to college,’ and historically, they have been told ‘Well, that’s not for you, okay, that’s not something you can do,’” Haney said. “Well, about 20 years ago, there started this sort of movement in our country to create an opportunity for people with intellectual disabilities to go to college because, why do we go to college? We go to college for exploration, to build our interpersonal skills, to learn about ourselves. Why can’t someone with an intellectual disability do that too? They can.”  

Haney said that Kennesaw State University was the first place of higher education in Georgia to develop a program for students with intellectual disabilities. Berry is the 10th school and first private institution in the state to do so as well.  

Haney explained that anyone can become disabled at any time, and inclusion not only benefits those with disabilities now, but also those who will gain them as they grow older.  

“If you live long enough, if you are blessed to live long enough, you will have a disability,” Haney said. “It comes with all kinds of changes, and when we are a humane society that cares about people and creates avenues for accessibility, for including people, in all aspects of work, education, faith, communities, our homes and our social experiences, I mean, we’re creating opportunities that you might need someday.” 

Haney believes that anyone who wants to be a part of a community deserves to be. 

“I would say it’s sort of the core, the heart of, ‘What does it mean to be human?’ you know?” Haney said. “Do you have to have 100 IQ, perfect vision, be a great athlete and look and behave like the model citizen? Is that what makes you human? I think it’s a sort of timeless philosophical question of who deserves to be part of the community, and I would say it’s everybody that wants to be part of the community.”