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As the parent of a child with an intellectual disability, Amy Allyn became an accomplished advocate and someone other parents could rely on to help them pave a pathway to success for their kids.

“When our daughter Kate was in middle school in Skaneateles, I was part of a parent group, working with the faculty and the school board,” says Allyn. “I was charged with creating a section of the handbook listing options for students in special education throughout middle and high school, and beyond.” That’s when Allyn discovered at ������.

Kate, who has Down syndrome, was only 12 years old at the time. Ten years later, Kate is graduating from InclusiveU and members of the Allyn family are not just celebrating her milestone, they are paving the way for Kate and other graduates with an intellectual disability to pursue personal and professional success following graduation.

Connection and Community

Members of the Allyn family, including mom, Amy; dad, David; grandpa William “Bill” F. Allyn G’59; and uncles Scott, Mark, Eric and his wife, Meg, have provided a combined $1 million gift to the (CDI) that will support new programs, services, facilities and staffing to ensure a successful transition from the University, as these students return to their communities and begin new jobs and lives beyond campus. The funding will strengthen career services, a network of alumni and access to community resources wherever InclusiveU graduates live.

“At InclusiveU, our students are well-prepared for employment after graduation,” says Professor Beth A. Myers, executive director of the Taishoff Center for Inclusive Higher Education, and associate director for CDI. “They’ve had access to robust internships and a business engagement model that helps them pursue careers in their majors, but we recognize that our students need more support outside of employment. They need help to maintain the social networks they’ve built here and build new ones. They need to be able to tap into the alumni network that ������ is so well-known for. They need help to access housing and other community resources.”

“There’s more to life after graduation than just the job,” says Allyn. “It’s about connection and community and all the things they’ve learned in their years at Syracuse.” Kate’s own experience at InclusiveU was a continuous process of discovery for her and her family. She participated in focused on inclusive entrepreneurship, design and community. She took advantage of InclusiveU’s residential program, and ultimately she had to learn new ways to care for herself on her own.

Kate had the additional challenge of a congenital condition called camptodactyly; her fingers were curved tightly, which meant she needed a special keypad for her dorm room and other accommodations. With each challenge, the family learned what it could do to help Kate and, ultimately, to help others.

New Adventures

A few years ago, a $100,000 gift from Amy and Dave Allyn allowed the program to hire a residential coordinator to support InclusiveU students living on campus, a gift that not only benefited Kate but all the residential students. Amy continues her advocacy work by serving on the Taishoff Center Advisory Council, which assists with and guides key programs and initiatives, including regional events, fundraising, strategic planning, research and InclusiveU admissions and recruitment.

“Amy has done so much for us,” says Myers. “She has so much experience navigating the nonprofit and community space and doing it in a very calm and beautiful way. She recognizes what needs to be done and pushes me to make difficult asks to do the next right thing.”

“I am grateful to the members of the Allyn family for their vision, counsel and generosity for the Center on Disability and Inclusion, the Taishoff Center for Inclusive Higher Education, and InclusiveU,” says Kelly Chandler-Olcott, dean of the and Laura J. and L. Douglas Meredith Professor for Teaching Excellence. “Over many decades, Syracuse has led the movement to support people with disabilities as they pursue fulfilling lives and careers. Thanks to members of the Allyn family, we can improve InclusiveU graduates’ post-secondary outcomes, including their self-advocacy skills, and offer dedicated services in modern, welcoming and purpose-built facilities.”

When asked what she is looking forward to after her four years on campus, Kate says she’s most excited about traveling and experiencing new adventures. Her mom credits the University with Kate’s increased sense of confidence: “I’m excited to see her show it.”