Published:
The Bridges to Adelphi program and Gersh Drivers Ed are partnering to help college students on the autism spectrum get their licenses.
Dedicated to providing the highest levels of individualized academic, social, and vocational support services to Adelphi’s neurodiverse students. This includes students who self-disclose that they are on the autism spectrum, or students who have other non-verbal or neurological-social disorders.
Career
Bridges to Adelphi helps you prepare for career success.
Higher Education’s First Sensory Room
In 2018, Adelphi became the first university to offer a sensory room for students who are on the autism spectrum or have other sensory needs. Since then, the room has been updated to offer a calming refuge for students returning to campus.
Through a variety of services designed to help students maximize areas of strength and creativity, the Bridges to Adelphi Program endeavors to increase community awareness and understanding, as well as foster appreciation for each student’s unique views of the world.
Bridges to Adelphi is a vital campus resource. It achieves its mission by:
- Offering individual, group, and peer mentor services, designed to help students overcome issues that may affect academic, social and vocational success; while upholding the University’s academic integrity, high standards, and expectations.
- Serving as consultant, collaborator, and liaison to the University faculty, administration, staff, and students, in addition to the surrounding community, to create an environment supportive of the intellectual, emotional, diverse, and spiritual needs of students.
- Providing outreach to families and school districts to support students’ transition to higher education and nurture educational bonds with Adelphi University.
- Providing outreach and training to other universities with similar programs, or interested in developing similar programs.
- Providing training programs to companies and organizations interested in increasing their internal diversity programs.
- Collecting and evaluating program data to assess the efficacy of Bridges activities, and to contribute to research in the field of college programs for neurodiverse students.
Bridges to Adelphi has helped our son mature and develop socially. He came from a high school program with significant academic support, but not very much of the social support that is critical for the less structured environment of college. He is now more self-assured and has developed strong interpersonal relationships with students who have common interests.
Sensory Room
In 2018, Adelphi University broke new ground by opening a sensory room, with a sensory wall, soft floors, a pouch swing, beanbag chairs and low lighting. This was the first room of its kind specifically opened for students with autism at a college campus. Launch Gallery
Sensory Room
In 2018, Adelphi University broke new ground by opening a sensory room, with a sensory wall, soft floors, a pouch swing, beanbag chairs and low lighting. This was the first room of its kind specifically opened for students with autism at a college campus. 3 Photos-
The facility also features a bubble wall with soothing lights and colors.
-
A student enjoying low lighting in a beanbag chair and noise-canceling headphones in the Sensory Room.
-
An Adelphi-student-produced mural, completed in partnership with a paleontologist who works with KultureCity.
Awarded Top National Prize
Bridges to Adelphi program received a 2021-2022 gold Excellence Award from the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) in the Equity, Inclusion, Social Justice and Related category and a gold Grand Winner award—for “transforming higher education through outstanding programs, innovative services and effective administration.”
Our Students Created an Adelphi Campus Tour in Minecraft
During the pandemic in Summer 2020, several students in the Bridges to Adelphi program began developing a digital replica of our Garden City campus—even our beloved bunnies—in Minecraft video game format.
Your Path to a Rewarding College Experience
College is a big adjustment for anyone. But if you are neurodiverse, making the move from high school to higher education can seem especially challenging.
Location
Earle Hall B Lower Level
Connect With Us