VT Autism Clinic & Center for Autism Research

Everyone deserves equitable access to events and community spaces. 

Your donation will stimulate inclusive change. 

Overview

The mission at the Virginia Tech Autism Clinic & Center for Autism Research (VTAC/CAR), a training clinic and research center in the Department of Psychology, is to improve the quality of life for autistic individuals and their families through intervention, education, and research directed towards effective services. 

In addition to practicing engaged scholarship by providing low or no-cost autism-specific clinical services to rural Virginians, we offer our free Supporting Autism Friendly Environments (SAFE) Program, which cultivates inclusive spaces, enabling belonging and full participation.

We need your help to hire a SAFE intern for a semester, who will offer free SAFE education and sensory friendly opportunities while gaining valuable, professional work experience in the field of neurodiversity. Donations can also be used to purchase fidget-toy giveaways and SAFE space supplies and support travel to SAFE outreach events. 

Background

Autistic adults and children face everyday challenges which make their participation in community activities difficult. For example, their sensory hypersensitivities can prevent them from enjoying a basketball game, a live performance, a fireworks demonstration, or a trip to the movies.

For over 10 years, the SAFE Program has upheld Virginia Tech’s land-grant mission, "Ut Prosim" (That I may serve.), by working in the community to provide greater access for autistic individuals. We do this by:

• Consulting with community organizations, businesses, and campus partners to determine low or no-cost interventions for their events
• Training interested parties/teams/employees on how to implement a SAFE event
• Partnering with a variety of organizations to host SAFE events for the community

The SAFE Program's partners have included the Hokie BugFest, the VT Women's Basketball Team, Moss Arts Center, the Lyric Theater, the VT Physics Department’s K-12 Outreach Program, the Universal Design course at VT, the VT Science Festival, Housing and Residential Life, Theta Delta Chi fraternity’s “Bro’s United” mentoring program, Kids Tech University, the Panhellenic Council at VT, and the VT ICAT Creativity and Innovation Day, and more.

Learn more

If you would like more information about our SAFE Program, please visit our SAFE Program webpage.  To learn about SAFE events happening during fall and spring semesters, please follow our Facebook and/or Instagram pages.