Mercyhurst mourns passing of Brad McGarry, former AIM director and international advocate for people on the autism spectrum
On Sunday, Dec. 10, Mercyhurst University lost one of its most beloved community members and the world lost a tireless advocate for children and adults on the autism spectrum. Brad McGarry, director of the Autism Initiative at Mercyhurst (AIM) for nearly a decade, died of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. He leaves a wife, Aimee, and five children, Connor, Brayden, Nico, Nate, and Mason.
In announcing his passing to the college community, Mercyhurst President Kathleen A. Getz, Ph.D., said, “In many ways, Brad was given a unique opportunity to affect people’s lives and he did it with an extraordinary generosity of spirit. He possessed a profound gift to make whoever was in his presence feel valued and dignified. He will be remembered as a pioneer, an inspiring mentor, a stalwart advocate, and a man who made space for everyone.”
The Brad McGarry Center for Neurodiversity
McGarry’s gift was championing his students, and he was relentless in his pursuit of their happiness and success. Even in the darkest moments of his illness, he channeled his faculties toward preserving his legacy for those students. The university, in turn, committed to expanding AIM, its programs and resources, through the new Brad McGarry Center for Neurodiversity.
On June 13, 2022, Gov. Tom Ridge, longtime chairman of the National Organization on Disability, who has worked with many of the nation’s disability organizations to advocate for policies that support increased disability employment, was the keynote speaker at the dedication of the McGarry Center.
Patrick Rooney Jr. of West Palm Beach, Florida, whose family made the lead gift of $250,000 to launch the center and establish the foundation upon which a $1 million endowment is being raised, also spoke. Rooney’s son, Patrick, is a student of the AIM program.
Patrick Rooney Jr.’s Message
“When I began the process of trying to find the right college for my high-functioning autistic son Patrick (P3 as we call him), I was quickly disheartened by the lack of programs or degrees for kids like him. Finally, after many hours searching the internet and other resources, I came across the AIM program at Mercyhurst. The contact name for the program was Brad McGarry. I emailed Brad and told him a little about my son in November of P3’s junior year of high school. Brad advised getting a tour of the school and meeting with Patrick. I thought, ‘OK I’ll arrange something in the spring.’ Brad had other thoughts and we ended up coming up from Florida the next month—-December—in about four feet of snow! To say Patrick, who had only seen snow briefly in his life, was not impressed would be an understatement. But neither P3 nor I knew of the magic of Brad McGarry and his ability to turn any potential negative into a positive. After a couple hours of touring what buildings we could get to, Patrick was essentially enrolled in that summer’s pre-AIM CREATE program and he took off from there. P3 is entering his final semester at Mercyhurst this fall and will graduate with a degree—not a certificate— in Hospitality. He hopes to work at Disneyworld in the Spring of 2024. To put it bluntly, Patrick would absolutely not be where he is without Brad. Brad saw something in P3 that I’m not sure anyone else had, even me. While my family mourns Brad’s untimely death, we are beyond grateful for the time we had with him. We choose to celebrate the fact he was brought into our lives for a reason and his legacy is my son and what he may be able to accomplish in this life. Thank you, Brad. You meant something more than you’ll know to Patrick and me.”
In the Beginning
McGarry began his Mercyhurst career in 2004 as an adjunct psychology professor at the university’s Corry campus. Later, he would move to Erie and, in 2014, assume leadership of AIM. His unstinting dedication to individuals on the spectrum nurtured a program that began with four students to enrolling over 60 today.
In a moving TEDxErie talk that he gave in 2015, McGarry spoke of the life challenge that inspired his work serving individuals with disabilities. His son, Connor, was born with Angelman Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder causing developmental disabilities and nerve-related symptoms. McGarry challenged the original medical assessment regarding Connor’s limitations, including the likelihood that he would never walk. Not only did Connor walk, he hiked with his father both stateside and at Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa, as part of awareness campaigns for both AIM and Angelman Syndrome.
What His Students are Saying
“Brad was committed to going out of his way to help AIM students feel welcome at Mercyhurst, find the support they need, and find jobs after graduation,” said 2019 AIM graduate Paul Cohen, who recently earned a master’s degree in museum studies from Syracuse University. “He was a mentor who understood people and what they were dealing with.”
For Ben VanHook ’21, “Brad was the reason I went to college at Mercyhurst, as he was one of the only people to have believed in me, my abilities, and strengths, and saw past my challenges. I would not be where I am today without him.”
Today, VanHook is an autistic self-advocate and public speaker, education and employment consultant on neurodiversity, and community support coordinator for the Organization for Autism Research.
Breaking Down Barriers
McGarry constantly sought new ways of elevating his students’ lives by building a foundation of self-advocacy, social skills, and sound academic progress. Despite impressive results at Mercyhurst, McGarry was frustrated that AIM graduates still were not making gains in the job market. So, he worked with the university to add a career path component to AIM to help them be productive and successful beyond college, an initiative that reaped meaningful results. At last count, 60 percent of AIM graduates had found productive employment; the national average for autistic Americans with university diplomas is 25 percent.
McGarry persevered and forged numerous partnerships with industry, including Wells Fargo, The MITRE Corp., PricewaterhouseCoopers, and Erie Insurance, all intended to break down stereotypes, open doors for his students, and build awareness about the abilities of people with on the autism spectrum. He and several AIM students were also featured in “This Business of Autism,” a documentary film about the economic and societal benefits of employing young adults with autism.
Sharing Expertise
Through his work with AIM, McGarry became a leader and a resource for many other institutions across the country. As a subject-matter expert, he testified before the U.S. Congress and was featured in The Chronicle of Higher Education, National Catholic Reporter, NBC’s TODAY.com, C-SPAN, and Forbes, among others.
He co-founded many of the concepts featured in Raise the Roof for Autism, an organization established to raise awareness for the lack of vocational opportunities for adults on the spectrum, which later led to travel experiences for his AIM students.
He also became friends with Temple Grandin, perhaps the world’s best-known individual with autism, with whom he was known to share interactions with his students. Grandin is a professor of animal science at Colorado State University, a consultant to the livestock industry on animal behavior, and a voice for autistic people across the globe. In 2010, Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world.
Grandin was among the high-profile guest speakers at the first-of-its-kind Conference on Autism in Higher Education that McGarry organized in 2012, bringing representatives of more than 30 U.S. colleges and universities to Erie to learn more about Mercyhurst’s success with college students on the spectrum and other pioneering initiatives.
“Brad McGarry was a pioneer in helping autistic students to be successful both in college and entering into a career,” said Grandin upon learning of McGarry’s passing. “Students in his college program were taught both life and work skills while they were attending college. This enabled his students to thrive.”
Moving Forward
In remembering McGarry’s contributions to the Mercyhurst community, manifestations of which have resonated across the global autistic community, Vice President for Student Life Dr. Laura Zirkle put it this way: “Brad was a force of nature, constantly championing the needs of the neurodiverse. Through his awareness-raising and advocacy, he also shifted attitudes and helped to create barrier-free environments for his students. Our hope is that the new Brad McGarry Center for Neurodiversity will continue his legacy for many years to come.”
PHOTO: Brad McGarry and his wife, Aimee, gather with their family – sons Nate, Brayden, Nico, Mason, and Connor – at the dedication of the Brad McGarry Neurodiversity Center in 2022.