Everything Independence

If you ever find yourself in a fight for equity and opportunity, Texas-born Christine Drew is exactly who you’d want in your corner.

"I'm a fighter, I'm an advocate," she said. "The thing that will keep you going is the thing that breaks your heart.”

For Drew, that "thing" was watching students with intellectual disabilities face unnecessary barriers. Instead of accepting the status quo, she turned frustration into action.

Now a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst and Assistant Professor in Auburn University's College of Education, Drew has been guiding students since 2019. By 2020, she became the Faculty Research Advisor for the EAGLES Program — a groundbreaking initiative that gives students with intellectual disabilities a true college experience.

“I sort of got going in the fall of 2020 and just never looked back,” Drew said.

Started in 2018, EAGLES (Education to Accomplish Growth in Life Experiences for Success) is one of only 300 programs nationwide that provides students with intellectual disabilities access to academics, clubs, health and wellness and social opportunities—the full breadth of university life.

"Auburn is an amazing university," Drew said. "EAGLES offers two and four-year options where students can follow their own path of interest and even earn credentials like food handlers’ licenses. We’re constantly expanding the program.”

Through her work with EAGLES students, Drew noticed a major challenge: the transition to independent living. That independence, she says, starts in the home. That’s why she teamed up with fellow special education advocate Kristin Lombardi to co-author Spectrum of Independence — a  book designed to give parents practical tools for maximizing the independence of children with autism, intellectual disabilities or other forms of neurodiversity.

"These parents have been fighting for their kids since day one," Drew said. “When the scan comes back and says your child has down syndrome or a genetic disorder, these parents are fighting to find specialists, therapists, the right medications and schools. We want to give them resources to help their child thrive."

The practical book focuses on task analysis, breaking down daily lifestyle tasks into manageable micro steps, helping kids take ownership of their routines and gradually build skills like personal care and preparing meals.  

Targeting children ages 8 to 11, Drew’s book emphasizes starting early — because building independence at home opens doors for education, employment and social opportunities later on.

"If a student arrives at college knowing how to shower, brush their teeth, make a snack and get to the bus stop, their world expands exponentially," Drew said.

Parents of neurodiverse students interested in applying for the EAGLES program can learn more at EAGLES Preview Days, scheduled for July 16 and Sept. 16.

Spectrum of Independence is available locally at Auburn Oil Co. Booksellers, on Publisher Guilford Press' website and on Amazon.

If the book does well, Drew will get to write another one — fighting the good fight to give every intellectually disabled student the widest array of possibilities.

“The more parents who have this book, the more empowered they'll be,” she said. “And that keeps me going."