Kelly Searsmith, Ed.M '21, and current Education Policy, Organization & Leadership doctoral student, has been named to the College Autism Network's Board of Directors.
Searsmith is an autism (self) advocate with a research focus on the inclusion and success of students in higher education who are autistic and neurodiverse and who have mental health concerns and disabilities. Recently, she served as a founding member of the College Autism Network’s Autism-Inclusive Campus Designation committee. Searsmith has mentored several neurodivergent college students to success and regularly speaks about disability inclusion and success on the University of Illinois campus.
Searsmith has given invited talks on autism and neurodiversity at the regional, state, and national levels for the Speech, Language, and Hearing professional community. She has published on autism with ASHA and at The Mighty. By day, she works full-time as a sponsored research administrator in the Department of Physics at the Grainger College of Engineering.
The College Autism Network links varied stakeholders engaged in evidence-guided efforts to improve access, experiences, and outcomes for postsecondary students with autism.
