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based on what he learns from parents and what he observes during a pre admission interview.
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It’s more than a gut feeling. He’s developed a rating scale that measures how students perform on what he calls the “AISE Domains”: academic progress, independence, social competence and emotional stability. The scale allows him to calculate a GPA of sorts. Like the grade point average all students earn, it ranges from 0 to 4.0, but it measures far more. During the Foundations experience, staf members c ontinue to measure performance on the AISE Domains and the student’s progress toward individual goals. Everything from workshops to social activities is designed to help students develop the skills they’ll need to succeed in a college. At the program’s close, each family gets a personalized report with a recommendation for the future. This year, McGarry told fv e participants they probably weren’t ready to enroll in college yet. The rest, he believes, can succeed, with some level of accommodations. Five of them enrolled in Mercyhurst’s AIM program this fall. Eleven of the 12 students in this year’s freshman cohort have completed Foundations.
MCGARRY TREK AIMS TO BUILD AWARENESS After launching a program to help students on the autism spectrum achieve job success, Mercyhurst is aiming even higher to advocate for more vocational resources for these students with a pair of adventure trips in 2015. Brad McGarry, who directs the Autism/Asperger Initiative at Mercyhurst (AIM), will set out to “Raise the Roof for Autism” in February when he climbs Africa’s Mount Kilimanjaro. Then a few months later he’ll lead a group of AIM students and friends as they “Conquer the Canyon” in Arizona. Kilimanjaro is composed of three distinct volcanic cones and rises more than 19,000 feet above sea level in northern Tanzania. It’s billed as the highest freestanding mountain in the world, and McGarry admits climbing it is a “bucket list” thing to do. “But more importantly, we’re trying to raise awareness for the lack of vocational resources for adults on the autism spectrum. I work every day with some really, really bright young adults and I want to make sure that they and other folks on the autism spectrum can get quality work and have jobs they love just like everybody else,” he explained. McGarry’s been hiking and climbing all over northwestern Pennsylvania as he trains for the climb, set for Feb. 6-16.
Contributions to fund the summit attempt and to beneft v ocational awareness can be made at hurstalumni.org/raise-the-roof-for-autism . You can follow McGarry’s adventures through a video diary on his Facebook page, Raise the Roof for Autism. The Conquer the Canyon group will leave Mercyhurst right after graduation in May to begin “the grandest hike on earth.” It’s the second time an AIM group has made the trip to experience the magnifc ent beauty of the Grand Canyon. From the rolling hills of the rim to the steep descents into the canyon of up to 3,000 feet, they’ll be led by expert guides who will interpret the geology, history, for a, fauna and environmental zones of the canyon. The itinerary also includes visits to the Valley of the Sun, the Sonoran Desert and the Red Rock Country of Sedona, a Colorado River Float Adventure, and Walnut Canyon National Monument. To help fund the trip for an AIM student, visit hurstalumni.org/conquer-the-canyon .
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