Welcome to START URI
A year-long, no-fee community-based program for autistic and neurodivergent students starting their first year at the University of Rhode Island.
What is START URI?
START URI is designed to help you
- Connect with other autistic and neurodivergent students
- Navigate college with clarity
- Learn how college works (including the “hidden curriculum”)
- Build confidence, independence, and motivation
- Practice academic and real-world skills
- Develop pride in their autistic or neurodivergent identity
START URI students can begin building these skills from their first days at URI.
Students decide:
- How they participate
- What goals matter to them
- What supports they want to use
START URI values student voice and choice.
Our supportive, skill-building, or enhancement experiences and resources are created by and for neurodivergent individuals, with care, intention, and lived experience. All ND opportunities are shaped by students, prioritize student choice, pride in neurodivergent identity, and a commitment to respectful, authentic inclusion.
We don’t have a “one-size-fits-all” program for neurodivergent students, because no singular approach can meet the needs or respect the diversity and variation of presentation within such a multifaceted and nuanced identity community.