MoSAIC program at University of Tennessee Chattanooga
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Students on the autism spectrum that enroll in the school's MoSAIC program can develop the social and organizational skills required for college life. Students in the year-long course meet twice each week with a Life Coach to work out any issues that may have come up during the week, and also meet with student peer mentors. The program also offers a unique monthly activity to apply what they've learned - for example, students may go to a restaurant to practice communication or visit local companies to learn about job placement.
Rebecca Sadowitz, a 20-year-old freshman majoring in biology who is enrolled in the program, says MoSAIC taught her more about herself. Sadowitz told CBS News in an email that when she was in high school, she'd cringe at the word "Asperger's" and avoided saying it, even though it was a part of her.
"The MoSAIC program has had a direct impact with how I have grown to understand and see myself as an individual with Asperger's," Sadowitz said. She said through the program, she met more people who were similar to her academically.
"I am learning to embrace my differences and how it can actually help me throughout my life," Sadowitz told CBS News. "I have always been comfortable in my own skin in that I have been able to make myself happy, but the MoSAIC program has been an integral part of helping me become confident in my own skin."
Many college students around the country have an opportunity to study abroad, and the MoSAIC program is no exception. Some students travel with staff from the school's Office for Students with Disabilities. Last year a group traveled to Ireland, Wales, Scotland, and England for two weeks.
Click here for pictures from the program's inaugural study abroad trip in 2009 trip to Fiji, New Zealand, Australia and Hawaii.
