The university recently launched a new think tank, the Thompson Policy Institute on Disability and Autism. It is charged with gathering data, conducting research and advocating for policy change on topics related to autism and other disabilities.
The Thompson Policy Institute was founded last fall through a $3 million gift from the William S. and Nancy E. Thompson Foundation. The goal of the institute is straightforward: to transform the way we understand disability and policy through research and surveys and to use those findings in working with community leaders, people with disabilities, and their families and legislators to influence policy.