About

Our Core Values

Diversity. We address the issues of disability, race, gender and cultural, ethnic and linguistic diversity as they affect urban students with and without disabilities.

Empowerment. We prepare professionals who can empower individuals with and without disabilities to control their own lives.

Prevention. We are committed to preparing professionals who can effectively prevent the negative outcomes and vulnerabilities often associated with urban poverty and disability.

Why Choose a Special Education Program with Specialization in Autism Spectrum Disorder?

The US Department of Education recognizes special education as an area of critical teacher shortage.  Thus, special education teachers are in very high demand.  Many schools are also looking for teachers with specialized training to work with students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) across all types of learning settings.  The prevalence of ASD has increased dramatically in the last decade with approximately 1 in 68 children in the U.S. estimated to have ASD (CDC, 2014).  To respond to this need, students in our programs engage in specialized curriculum and experiences to be prepared to work with this student population in all types of settings.  Many of our students go on to teach in inclusive classrooms, while others apply their training to work in other settings, including self-contained classrooms and special schools.  The unique training in ASD provided by this program allows our students to be ready to respond to the growing needs of these and other populations of students in any setting.