Created by autistic students, for autistic students, The Autistic Student Union aims to support and provide a safe space for autistic students. Credit: Nathan Mader | Lantern Reporter

The Autistic Students Union at Ohio State was created by autistic students, for autistic students.

The organization, founded in spring 2022, aims to support and provide a safe space for autistic students and self-advocates through virtual and in-person meetings.

“The idea that inspired this union was the fact that there was not a lot of support for autistic students in university,” Anirudh Subramaniam, a second-year in neuroscience and co-president of the organization, said in an email. “Even though we had great disability clubs, none of them catered or had enough support for the needs of students with autism.”

Subramaniam said he was pondering the concept of a club specifically for autistic students and “struck gold” when the Autistic Students Union at the University of Pittsburgh reached out about starting a sister chapter at Ohio State. 

Subramaniam said he started a Discord server for the club in January 2022, beginning as a seven-person team before growing to over 70.

Hunter Mastin, a fifth-year in pursuing dual degrees in psychology and computer science and engineering and the organization’s director of outreach, said the club creates a sense of belonging for autistic students.

“This was a way for us to build that community and know that we’re not alone on campus. Autistic people do go to college,” Mastin said.

According to a 2017 study, 38.8 percent of autistic college students do not graduate with a degree. Tori Kaufman, a fourth-year in industrial and systems engineering and the organization’s treasurer, said this statistic could be due to a lack of support for autistic students.

“Their voices are unrepresented and unheard due to the systemic barriers they face enrolling and participating in a college system that was not designed for them,” Kaufman said.

August Saunders, a third-year in English and the organization’s co-president, said while initiatives at Ohio State like the Nisonger Center’s Ace! program — which assists autistic students in navigating the college experience — are helpful, it is beneficial to have an organization created by autistic students. 

“The Ace! program does some social events, which is nice, but it’s nice to have a place that’s just all self-advocates,” Saunders said. “It feels like a space that we’ve created for ourselves.”

Ray Hahn, a second-year in theatre and the organization’s director of outreach, said in an email one of the union’s goals is uplifting autistic voices.

“Part of what we as an organization are attempting to do is give Autistic students a bigger voice on campus as a collective rather than as individuals,” Hahn said. 

Subramaniam said he hopes the union can eliminate obstacles to inclusion.

“We can slowly start to remove the barriers that get in the way through advocacy and awareness,” Subramaniam said. 

Subramaniam said future events could include collaborations with other student organizations and the university.

Saunders said he wants to create a presentation on disability rights to educate others on accommodations.

“A lot of us are not aware of the rights to accommodation that we are eligible for, and not really aware of what kind of accommodations might help,” Saunders said.

Lucas Ziegler, a first-year in biochemistry and the organization’s secretary, said he hopes the union can encourage more autistic students to pursue higher education and support them throughout the experience.

“I hope that we can help to draw more autistic students to come to university if they are able to,” Ziegler said. “To give them the space to feel that they belong on a college campus instead of just sticking out.”

Autistic students and allies can join the organization’s Discord server here to learn about future meeting dates.

The Autistic Student Union prefers identity-first language in all references.