URBANA — Fall classes began Monday at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. It was also the beginning of the university’s new Illinois Neurodiversity Initiative. The program aims to smooth the experience of college for students with autism. INI Director Jeanne Kramer created the program after leading an internship pipeline program specifically for University of Illinois
When schools closed last spring, children with severe mental illnesses were cut off from the services they’d come to rely on. Many have since spiraled into emergency rooms and even police custody.
The Champaign and Urbana school districts are distributing Chromebooks to students who need the devices. Champaign schools have so far distributed about 1,000 Chromebooks to district families, according to Unit 4 spokesperson, John Lyday. Courtney Harmon, an Urbana District 116 parent, picked up a Chromebook for her six-year-old son last week. Her son attends Yankee