Tech Kids Unlimited
Tech Kids Unlimited is an NYC-based not-for-profit 501(c)(3) education organization that teaches computational thinking and technology skills to students with Autism Spectrum Disorder, learning and emotional challenges. The program emphasizes project-based learning along with Universal Design for Learning, explicit instruction, and other adaptations for students who learn differently. The organization was founded by Beth Rosenberg, an NYC-based educator for her son who learns differently.
Organization and classes
TKU classes follow a differentiated model of small workshops with high support including a 1:3 teacher-to-student ratio as well as a social worker in every classroom. TKU offers year-round programming with the weekend, summer, and after-school programs. The majority of classes operate out of NYU Tandon School of Engineering via The Ability Project, an interdisciplinary lab classroom. Many of the staff are undergraduate students or graduates of the university.Over the last 40 years, the decline in manufacturing jobs and increase in service jobs, which usually require social interactions, has made employment more challenging for a special needs population that tends to struggle with social etiquette and has had few options outside of low-wage labor jobs. Technology jobs could help fill this gap, tapping into a segment of the potential workforce that is inclined to love and be adept at technology.