Jane Thierfeld Brown, Ed.D., a leading authority on autism in higher education, was the keynote speaker at Montgomery County Community College's Bridging to the Future Conference on May 1. The annual conference provides information and resources to students with special needs to help with the transition to adulthood.
Transitioning to the next stage or chapter in life can be a challenging time. To help with the adjustments, Montgomery County Community College provides support for students with autism and special needs through its Bridging to the Future Conference and Bridge to College Program.
MCCC hosted the Bridging to the Future Conference virtually on Saturday, May 1, and more than 100 participants attended. The event began with keynote speaker Jane Thierfeld Brown, Ed.D., a leading authority on autism in higher education, who spoke about “Transition: Creating a Ramp Rather than a Cliff.” The presentation shared valuable information on how to help students with disabilities successfully transition to college and life as an adult.
Following the keynote presentation, there were four sessions with 17 seminars held throughout the day. Attendees had the opportunity to network and visit the expo area, where 17 vendors shared information on a variety of topics.
The Bridge to College Program (BTC) has been a successful, supportive summer program at MCCC for 11 years. Students from 19 of the 22 school districts in Montgomery County have used the program, and it also has served students from Philadelphia, Bucks, Berks, Schuylkill, Delaware, and Chester counties. Of the 145 participants in the BTC Program between 2010 and 2020, 100 students (68%) continued their education at MCCC collectively taking more than 1,097 credit courses.