Library involvement in an autism support program: A case study

Abstract

The Students with Autism Transitional Education Program (STEP) at Eastern Illinois University is one of the few of its kind and is a leader in supporting college students with autism. Eastern Illinois University Library Services teamed up with the STEP in order to provide support to the students in the program. Students were interviewed about their experiences in the library in order to determine what their impressions of the library were and what potential needs they had. Students largely viewed the library as a safe haven and a great place for quiet study. Based on feedback, this case study also offers suggestions for improvement to make college and university libraries more welcoming to people with autism.

Keywords:

• Autism
• case study
• disability
• interviews
• library usage

Acknowledgment

The authors wish to thank the STEP staff and students for their participation in this project.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.