April marks Autism Acceptance Month, a time to celebrate neurodiversity amongst autistic individuals.
This year, Autism Acceptance Month reflects a shift from emphasizing autism awareness to recognizing the critical need to promote acceptance, inclusion and connection for autistic individuals. According to the CDC, 1 in 44 children are diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and more than 7 million Americans have ASD.
At SUNY New Paltz, there are approximately 60 students with ASD registered with the Disability Resource Center (DRC).
If you’re interested in learning more about how the Disability Resource Center supports New Paltz students, get in touch today at 845-257-3020 or drc@newpaltz.edu.
Through the newly available DRC Art Therapy space, students have had opportunities to connect and express themselves through creativity. Their artwork reflects the talent, creativity and uniqueness these individuals bring to our campus.
Here’s a sampling of that creativity:
Allison Zuclich ’24 (Anthropology) This is a hand drawing of an elf using black ink on white paper. The elf has a long wavy ponytail and bangs. The elf has large eyes, a pointy ear, and a smiling mouth. The elf is wearing a shirt, shorts, and boots decorated with a diamond pattern. A belt is tied around the waist with two bows on the side. The elf is wearing a ring on each finger.
Elisa Rosario ’25 (Theatre Arts) The center of the artwork is a person resting their head on their knees and wrapping their arms around their knees. The person is wearing a hat, black shirt, and pants. The person is surrounded by a purple wavy-like structure. Outside of the purple structure are 23 people wearing different outfits and having different hairstyles. The people outside the purple structure are surrounded by yellow. Some of the people surrounded in yellow are facing one another and some are alone.
Allison Zuclich ’24 (Anthropology) This is a hand drawing in black ink on white paper. The drawing is of a girl with elbow-length curly hair, large eyes, and a smile. The girl is wearing an ankle-length cape with a beaded clasp. The girl is wearing a button-down shirt and gloves. The girl is also wearing sorts with a large pocket, a dagger on one side tucked into the shorts and a long sword on the other side. The girl is wearing tall socks and laced boots.
Jerome Kauzlaskas ’23 (Digital Media Production) This artwork is drawn with colorful ink on paper. Fifteen four-sided shapes of varying sizes are drawn in shades of brown, purple, yellow, blue, orange, and green. Each shape is surrounded by a navy-colored border. The artist’s signature is written on the lower right-hand side.
Allison Zuclich ’24 (Anthropology) A red fierce, fire breathing dragon with powerful wings and piercing horns. The scaled tail is wrapped around the beast
Elisa Rosario ’25 (Theatre Arts) This is a colorful painting on a gray stone. A brown bear wearing a yellow top and a pink hat is hugging a black penguin with a white face and brown feet
Jacob Contzius ’23 (Digital Media Production) This is a painting of a Dolphin on a gray stone. A light blue background is painted on the lower portion of the stone. A gray dolphin with a blue eye is wearing a Navy hooded sweatshirt. Short black hair is painted on the dolphin’s head. The artist’s signature is written in the top portion of the stone.
