Students Empowering Students is an organization on campus that is dedicated to promoting acceptance and awareness of autism in college life.

The organization started two years ago when professor of Intervention Services, Brittany Joseph, brought the idea to her students in class. The group has been an official campus organization for one year.

Senior, Art Therapy and Intervention Services student, Ashlynn Wardle was in the class with Joseph and has helped build the organization to what it is now.

Students Empowering Students has about 15-20 people that are involved in the program. Some members have autism and others are there just to support the cause. They have sponsored educational talks about the awareness of autism. They have also been involved in the Bowling Green community for volunteer projects.

The organization is starting to collaborate with Wood Lane developmental services, and they are also part of Disabilities Services on Campus.

The group held an open presentation Wednesday night focusing on Autism in the Media.

Students Empowering Students plans to hold more events like this in the future to spread awareness on campus and across the community.

Wardle has seen positive feedback both from the community and from students wanting to get involved.

Wardle said that one of her biggest goals for the organization is to make sure that they are representing the concerns and viewpoints of people that actually have autism.

“There are a lot of organizations who speak for people that have autism diversities that don’t have the same viewpoints as people that have autism,” she said. “Kind of the idea of trying to fix a person rather than accepting them.”

According to autism-society.org, 35 percent of young adults (ages 19-23) with autism have not had a job or received postgraduate education after leaving high school.

Wardle said that one of her favorite parts of working with the organization so far is getting emails from people who have autism that are self-advocating their own viewpoints.

She also said that there is room for improvement in the awareness of what autism really is on a college campus.

“People know that autism exists,” Wardle said. “But, people who have autism aren’t usually thought of as people who could be included in a college campus.”

It is one of her goals to change that.

“Autism is a whole spectrum, and people shouldn’t only see one end of that,” she said.

Students Empowering Students aims to develop into a peer mentoring system.

Wardle said that she hopes the organization will have more inclusive social events in the future.