We are proud to partner with The Ability Project at NYU Tandon and must comply with the building's security protocol. Once enrolled, you will be contacted if further information is needed.

TKU serves children and young adults ages 10 to 24 who have been diagnosed with disabilities, including but not limited to ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Sensory Processing and Auditory Processing Disorder, Anxiety, OCD, Executive Functioning Challenges, Dyslexia, and other language-based learning disabilities. Most TKU students have an IEP or a 504 Plan and are able to function mostly independently in a classroom-like environment. Participants generally have medium to high levels of both receptive and expressive language and exhibit little to no behavioral issues.
TKU students often come from Department of Education schools or specialized classrooms that are inclusive, integrated, or follow a 12:1:1 or 8:1:1 model. TKU provides a supportive learning environment with a lead tech teacher, assistant teacher, a 4:1 counselor ratio, and a social worker in every classroom. We do not offer 1:1 support in our programs. We are not specifically trained to support nonverbal students. Students who are medically fragile and require clinical care or nursing support during program hours are not appropriate for our setting. For in-person workshops, TKU staff are not able to manage extremely expressive or physical behaviors. Students who display violent or significantly aggressive behavior will be asked to leave the program and will be refunded for any unused workshop days. This policy exists to protect the safety and well-being of all students and staff.
No prior technology experience is required to participate in Tech Knowledge programs. However, some Career Ladder programs such as the Digital Agency, CRISP, and CRISP Lab, which require a higher level of tech ability, students may not participate without previous tech experience. To join the Digital Agency, an application and demonstration of some tech knowledge are required. The Career Ready Summer Internship Program is an invite-only program.
If you are unsure whether your child's needs or behaviors are appropriate for a TKU setting, please contact us at [email protected] before registering. TKU reserves the right to deny service to a participant if we determine that their needs exceed the level of support our program is able to provide. If an in-person workshop does not seem like the right fit, we encourage families to explore our virtual options.

TKU offers financial aid. Please go to the About section of this website to find the Financial Aid Application. Once you fill it out you will receive an email in regard to financial aid amount and the code to use to enroll your child. TKU makes sure no student is turned away due to financial challenges.

TKU would like to address the different types of language you might see about disability on this website. Most often, TKU prefers to use the terms "neurodiverse" and "students who learn differently" to describe students in TKU programs. TKU uses these terms to be inclusive of all the different types of neurological diversity within the student community. TKU also prefers these terms because of their association with the Neurodiversity Rights Movement, a disability civil rights movement that recognizes autism and other neurodevelopmental differences as a normal part of human diversity. You can read more about neurodiversity in the context of education here or watch a short video about it here. TKU understands that every individual has preferences about how they prefer to describe themselves and their identity. TKU respects individual preferences. You may also see a mixture of other words that are used to describe learners who are welcome at TKU, including both identity-first language (e.g. "autistic students'') or person-first language (e.g. "students with special needs'' or "students with disabilities'' or "students with ADHD") on the website. This is because we want to ensure that folks outside the TKU community can find TKU and get involved in programs. Sometimes the language we prefer within our communities is inconsistent with the language used by larger groups like school systems, grant-making foundations, and government service providers who may use more clinical language for the purpose of clarity. What is the refund policy?

Full refunds for programs will be provided only if requested a full week (7 days) before the start date of the workshop. A 50% refund will be given after that. If there is a medical emergency, please provide a doctor’s note.

We encourage everyone to follow public health guidelines regarding Covid-19 vaccinations to help protect themselves and others. While vaccination is strongly recommended, it is not mandatory, and individuals are not required to provide proof of vaccination to participate in our programs. We continue to prioritize the health and safety of our community by maintaining other preventive measures as needed, such as hand hygiene, optional mask usage, and staying home when feeling unwell.

No, you can register for as few or many workshops as you'd like!

The deadline to register is typically 1 week (minimum) before each class begins. Will lunch be provided?

Lunch is not provided. Students should bring their own lunch or bring money for lunch. If bringing money for lunch, students have options nearby which staff will bring them to to buy lunch before eating back on campus. Options include pizza, Pret-a-Manger, amongst others. Peanuts are strictly prohibited. We have a no-peanut policy due to extreme allergies of many of our students What are the hours? Is there early dropoff and late pickup?

The hours of summer program workshops are 10 AM EST- 4 PM Est. Early drop-off is available for $16 per day paid directly to a designated TKU staff member. Late pick-up is available for $16 per day. Early drop-off is at 9 AM EST and late pick-up is at 5 PM EST. Parents/guardians who do not pick up their students by 5 PM may incur an extra charge.

We are located at NYU Tandon, The Ability Project, 3rd floor, 370 Jay St., Brooklyn, NY, 11201. This central location is close to many train stops including:
A, C, F, R to Jay St. MetroTech
2, 3, 4, 5 trains to Borough Hall
Q, B trains to DeKalb Ave.
LIRR to Flatbush Ave. Atlantic Terminal

TKU workshops do not have any more than 20 students per classroom. Each class has a teacher, assistant teacher, social worker, and counselors.

-The refund policy for virtual workshops includes a full refund the week before the workshop, 50% refund a day before the workshop begins.
- Medical reasons or other extenuating circumstances may be considered.
- If there are circumstances where TKU feels the program is not the right fit for your student (ie: bullying of other students, inability to follow along even after extensive social worker intervention) you will be refunded for remaining days your student doesn’t attend.

All timings on our website are in Eastern Time. You can absolutely still join if you are in another part of the country...or world!

We will be using the software Zoom for all virtual (online) workshops. Students should install Zoom onto their computers prior to the start of workshops and regularly install updates. Zoom is safe and private via multiple settings we have in place. In addition, TKU uses an NYU account which is very secure. An email with instructions on how to download Zoom and the Zoom address will be sent prior to the start date of each workshop.

A computer (MAC or PC) is highly recommended to fully experience a virtual workshop and receive all its benefits. Joining on an iPad or similar device will limit the students' capabilities to use the software we will be teaching, however, they will still be able to join. For certain workshops, a computer is required so we recommend reading the description for a class prior to registering.

It is not a requirement to be on video. However, we encourage all students to be on video. Aside from teaching technology skills, we want to provide a way for students to stay connected to each other and the TKU community. If you don't have a webcam for your computer, you can get one for $20 (ie: a Logitech webcam) if you're interested. Alternatively, students may join the Zoom meeting using a phone or tablet with their video enabled, and participate in the workshop activities from a computer. How do I know if a virtual workshop is appropriate for my student?

Students should have basic typing knowledge and be able to navigate their way around a computer (ie: understand how to open up a new browser, type in a URL, point and click, use a mouse, etc).

Each workshop will remain small with no more than 20 students per class. Breakout rooms are used to ensure students receive enough attention. Every class will have a master tech teacher, an assistant teacher, and a counselor. There will also be a social worker who will work with each class on social-emotional learning. The social worker will be happy to talk with you on the phone about any issues that might come up during the class time.