Event Details

Date: Daily from Monday 23rd March

A digital exhibition of visual art, poetry, multimedia, film and other creative work took place across the Festival on the social media channels of all participating HEIs. They appeared at 11am each day, to encourage people to share their coffee break with some neurodivergent creativity.

Search for #DivergentMinds on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn. 

#DivergentMinds Creations

Sakura De Francesco: "Mayne"

The painting represents Sakura accepting and overcoming the society-induced shame of being born autistic, using colours, sparkles, and different painting techniques to represent the mix of feelings that come with understanding and accepting a diagnosis.

Click here to view Sakura's work.

Matthew Altomare: "My Brain While Sleeping!??"

Click here to view Matthew's creation.

Lee Carey: "Iarmhaireacht"

This poems title in Irish means loneliness, specifically the loneliness one feels when they're awake really early in the morning before everyone else.

Click here to read Lee's poem.

Kyros: "music drowns out the noise"

Click here to view Kyros' creation.

Watch Party Details

Time: 7pm
Date: Sunday 22nd March

On Sunday 22nd March at 7pm, we invited individuals to a watch party of Néara-Éagsúlacht: Dearcadh Difriúil, a two-part documentary, in a mix of Irish and English, translated through subtitles, that explored neurodiversity in Ireland. This compelling series offered an honest, humane look at stories that often not heard.

Watch the Documentary Below

The documentary is available to watch here: Néara-Éagsúlacht: Dearcadh Difriúil

Watch Party Discussion

Date: Monday 23rd March

Anne Hannan (CCT) hosted a panel discussion with Sarah Beth Henry from Tyrone Productions, producer of Néara Éagsúlacht: Dearcadh Difriúill; Cúnla Ní Bhraonáin-Morris, who took part in the documentary, and Mick O’Dowd, whose son Traolach was also featured.

The two-part documentary is still available to watch on the TG4 player and viewing is highly recommended: Néara-Éagsúlacht: Dearcadh Difriúil | Seinnteoir | Irish Television Channel, Súil Eile.

Watch Event

Disability Supports and Reasonable Accommodations in Higher Ed

Date: Tuesday 24th March

Robert Ward (NCI) hosted a panel discussion with Áine Byrne, Disability Officer ATU Sligo, Karen Mooney, Head of Student Support and Welfare NCI; and Anne Hannan, Disability and Careers Officer CCT. This panel provided the audience with a good insight into what HEIs in Ireland can offer and the impacts of those supports on student success.

Watch Event

Assistive Technology in HEIs

Date: Wednesday 25th March

Fiona Earley (DCU) hosted a fireside chat with Trevor Boland, Assistive Technology Officer at DCU, informed by a student panel, including Emily McPhillips Sheridan from DkIT and Matthew Altomare from CCT, who spoke about their own use of Assistive Tech.

Watch Event

Note-Taking Technology and Reading Tech

To note: Some are free, and some are paid. Some are accessible through disability services; others are not.

Note-Taking Applications:

• Microsoft OneNote: A free, versatile tool compatible with most devices, enabling text, image, drawing, and audio integration.
• Notion: A highly flexible, collaborative platform for creating personalised note systems.
• GoodNotes / Notability: Excellent for tablet users, especially for handwritten notes with a stylus.
• Obsidian: Popular for its bi-directional linking and strong organisational structure for power users.
• Google NotebookLM: An AI-powered tool designed to analyse documents and provide summaries.
• Google Docs: A simple and effective way to write notes.
• Google Keep: A simple-to-use app that can be used for reminders, simple notes, and even adding photos to your notes.

Digital Writing & Recording Tools:

• Livescribe Smartpen: Records audio while you write on special paper, syncing the audio to the handwritten words, which are then backed up to PDF.
• Tablets & Stylus: Digital tablets like iPads allow for capturing handwritten notes while providing the benefits of digital storage.

AI Recording & Transcription:

• Otter.ai: Provides real-time transcription and AI-generated summaries, making it ideal for meetings and lectures.
• JamWorks: Offers AI-powered lecture recordings and creates summary notes.

Reading tools

• Blackboard Ally: Upload a document / PDF and convert it into an audio file.
• iPhone to read out loud: settings on your iPhone can be switched on so it can read back text.
• Seeing AI: An app that can be used by many types of students who could be blind or have dyslexia.
• Photo or scan text and it reads it out loud.

Additional Resources

• Visit the DCU Assistive Technology page for more AT tips.
• Visit the AT resource in AHEAD called ATHive to find more AT tools.
• Watch The Assembly on Virgin Media, where guests are interviewed by a group of autistic and neurodivergent interviewers.

Communication Options for Non-Speaking Autistic People

Date: Thursday 26th March

Atlanta McGloin, Inclusion Support Tutor at ATU Sligo led this panel which looked at two options for non-speaking autistic people: Lámh and Spell2Communicate. Adrienne Murphy, a Spelling2Communicate parent-practitioner and Anna Lechleiter, owner and lead practitioner of PALZ, a S2C hub in Co. Kildare, facilitated a group of Spellers (non-speaking autistic people who spell to communicate) to express their own experience and opinions

A copy of the Spellers' transcript from the event is available to download here.

Watch Event

Event Updates

Unfortunately, one of our original panelists Katriona Boland, Lámh user and Home Visitor from NCI’s Early Learning Initiative, was unable to attend on the day, however her colleague Vickey Kelly stepped in to share her experiences with Lámh and to contribute the resources listed below. 

Adrienne's young adult son Caoimh Connolly Murphy, a non-speaking speller, was also unwell on the day of the event but he was well represented by his friends and fellow Spellers: Fallon Loftus, Sam Saibu, and Max Whelan, whom some of you may recognise from Virgin Media TV’s The Assembly.

The Assembly

Another panel participant from Wednesday’s session on Assistive Technology, Emily McPhillips Sheridan, is also part of The Assembly. If you wish to learn more about this programme, it is available on Virgin Media Player:

Creating an Account

To create an account with Virgin Media, follow these steps:

Visit the Virgin Media website and navigate to the registration page. Virgin Media Play: register

1. Enter your first name, email address, and password.
2. Confirm your password and select your gender, year of birth, and county.
3. Optionally, select up to 3 genres.
4. Agree to the Virgin Media Terms & Conditions and understand that a Virgin Media Play account will be created for you.
5. Confirm your preferences and agree to the Privacy Policy.
6. Complete the registration process by following the prompts and verifying your email address.
7. You can view Virgin Media Play content on your desktop computer, laptop, Android or iOS devices, Virgin Media or Sky platforms and on NOW TV.

Lámh Resources

• Lámh Website
• Silvia Angel Education - YouTube Channel
• Dizzy Deliveries - Lámh TV Show, RTE 2 and RTE Junior
• Lámh Nursery Songs - St Michaels House

Spelling2Communication Resources

• Spelling to Communicate (S2C) practitioner Anna Leichleiter - Palz.ie
• S2C with practitioner-parent Adrienne Murphy 
• Autistic nonspeaking speller, Caoimh Connolly Murphy, wasn't well on the day of the webinar; but see him spell to communicate here, for his video presentation by for the Minding Autistic Minds Conference by AUsome Training:  Watch Video 
• See Adrienne and Caoimh present live about spelling to communicate, with Anna CRPing (communication regulation partnering) for Caoimh: Watch Video 
• International Association for Spelling as Communication
• Research supporting S2C
• Irish National Disability Authority's Feb 2026 publication, Guidance to Support Non-Speaking and Minimally Speaking People to Access Public Services. 
• The use of letterboards and the support of trained assistants is included amongst valid AACs (augmentative and alternative communication methods) in this recent document. 
• Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act: If non-speakers decide to use letterboards and keyboards to communicate, and as a means to express other decisions about their lives, and they need assistance in order to do so, those decisions are now supported by law. Under this law: 

1. It is no longer legal to make generalised opinions of 'incapacity' about people. 
2. We are all obliged to always presume that each person has the ability to make decisions about their own life. 
3. If a person has a challenge, but with help can make their own decision, then that support must be provided.

• The government's Final Report of the Joint Committee on Autism, published in June 2023, vindicates spellers' rights to communicate through their preferred and chosen AAC (augmentative and alternative communication). For a rapidly growing number of nonspeaking, minimally speaking and unreliably speaking people, spelling to communicate on letterboards, with the assistance of trained communication regulation partners, is their chosen and preferred AAC. 

1. The Final Report of the Joint Committee on Autism specifically states that spelled communication should be supported and upheld. The committee's request is that access to letterboard communication be specifically legislated for by government. 
2. See p. 66 under the heading, 'Augmentative and Alternative Communication and Devices', here:

Attending Open Days

A recurring piece of advice for autistic people curious about higher education was to attend as many open days as possible.

• Many HEIs run specific events such as NCI Neuro-Inclusion Open Day
• All NCAD Open Days have a ‘Calm Open Day’ section.
• All AAF-participating HEIs say that if you are attending a general open day, you can contact disability support services in advance and they’ll answer any queries, let you know where the quiet spaces are and/or try to arrange a meeting with you on the day.
  • NCI: lds@ncirl.ie
  • DCU: Fiona.Earley@DCU.ie
  • ATU Sligo: disability.sligo@atu.ie
  • NCAD: learningsupport@ncad.staff.ie
  • CCT Dublin: anne.hannan@cct.ie
  • DkIT: Geraldine.Kneel@dkit.ie

The Assembly

Several of our speakers from the festival have participated on Virgin Media's The Assembly. If you wish to learn more about this programme, it is available on Virgin Media Player:

Creating an Account

To create an account with Virgin Media, follow these steps:

Visit the Virgin Media website and navigate to the registration page. Virgin Media Play: register

1. Enter your first name, email address, and password.
2. Confirm your password and select your gender, year of birth, and county.
3. Optionally, select up to 3 genres.
4. Agree to the Virgin Media Terms & Conditions and understand that a Virgin Media Play account will be created for you.
5. Confirm your preferences and agree to the Privacy Policy.
6. Complete the registration process by following the prompts and verifying your email address.
7. You can view Virgin Media Play content on your desktop computer, laptop, Android or iOS devices, Virgin Media or Sky platforms and on NOW TV.

Event Details

Date: Daily from Monday 24th March

A digital exhibition of visual art, poetry, multimedia, film and other creative work took place across the Festival on the social media channels of all participating HEIs. They appeared at 11am each day, to encourage people to share their coffee break with some neurodivergent creativity.

Search for #DivergentMinds on Instagram, Facebook and X (formerly Twitter). 

#DivergentMinds Creations

Ben McCabe: Ben is interested in the empty places of rural Ireland; landscapes, abandoned homes, neglected farms, forgotten myths and lore. Through drawing, paint or photography, these rural identities are translated into craft, painting, installation or sculpture; evoking a deep sense of place. We’re delighted to share his pieces, created with oil on canvas.

Click here to view Ben's work.

Duygu Civelek: Duygu has shared some photographs from some very visually striking scenes on Halloween. 

Click on the links below to view Duygu's creations:

1. Submission 1 
2. Submission 2 

Fae Birmingham: Fae’s experiences with OCD inspired her to write this song during the summer months, a time of brighter days, starry nights, and reflections. 

Click here to listen to Fae's song.

Glenda Deveney: Glenda has created this mainly a watercolour piece about what it's like to have ADHD - Watering branches instead of trees. All the ideas floating and many different things happening all the time. It's both positive in all the possibilities growing and hindering in forgetting to water/take care of yourself - what others see as the basics. As things come at you (the wave) you have to figure out how to stay rooted and where to water (put your attention) and where to let things just be because you only have so much time in a day.

Click here to view Glenda's creation.

Hardik Singh Pawar: Hardik’s images symbolize calmness and unique perspectives. The peaceful deer and serene forest represent neurodivergent minds finding harmony and meaning in stillness and nature. 

Click here to view Hardik's work.

John Bermingham: John has compiled a series of evocative pieces that may shock us but also inspire us to look at the world around us and deeply examine society.  

Click on the links below to view John's creations:

1. Submission 1
2. Submission 2
3. Submission 3
4. Submission 4

Taya Tan: Taya is a Chinese artist based in Dublin. She describes herself as a wanderer, a wonderer, an idealism perfectionist. When Taya found out about the Autism Acceptance Festival, she was inspired to share this piece with us that is entitled The Unknown Sublime. 

Click here to view Taya's work.

Justina Bilvaisaite: Justina paints as a form of self-care. She has created some beautiful, soothing paintings of nature scenes, that we are delighted to share.  

Click on the links below to view Justina's artwork:

1. Submission 1
2. Submission 2
3. Submission 3

Nex Meehan: Nex’s short story is about a parent's journey to discovering that their child will be okay, even if they follow their own path rather sticking to a preconceived one. In this story, the love between parent and child becomes the most powerful bond there is. 

Click here to view Nex's work.

Johanna Riquelme A.: Johanna's creation, created using oil paints, is entitled "The Passage of Futaleufú", depicting the patagonian crossing between Chile and Argentina in South America. The name Futaleufú is an indigenous Mapuche word meaning "Big River",

Click here to view Johanna's work.

Trevor Geraghty: Trevor is passionate about art and design. His love for creativity inspires him to continuously create unique pieces. Inspired by photography and artwork, Trevor has written this poem entitled Life. 

Click here to listen to Trevor reciting his poem.

Watch Party Details

Time: 7pm
Date: Sunday 23rd March

On Sunday 23rd March at 7pm, we invited individuals to a watch party of A Case for Sensory Decolonisation, a short 7 minute film by Dr Magda Mostafa, drawing on research by herself and Dr Stuart Neilson. It's description is as follows: "Between the polarities of sensory overstimulation and refuge, the work allows us to look at the impact of mindful spatial strategies, here lies "escape".

Watch the Short Film Below

Sensory alert: this video intends to express the discomfort of overstimulation. If you find yourself unable to watch it, you can learn more about this research on Stuart’s blog, which includes text of Dr Magda Mostafa’s essay, where it can be read rather than watched.

Towards Autism Friendly Neighbourhoods

Date: Monday 24th March

Dr Stuart Neilson joined Robert Ward, Director of Marketing and International Development at NCI and Chair of NCI’s Autism Friendly Campus to discuss Stuart's contribution to Dr Magda Mostafa's film "A Case for Sensory Decolonisation". The discussion also included the student response to his work, exploring how to make the theory reality, and Caitlin Cruise from AsIAm to talk about practice.

Our Panelists

Watch Event

A full recording of the event can be viewed here.

Autistic Staff Experiences in Higher Education

Date: Tuesday 25th March

Much of an Autism Friendly HEI’s initiatives focus on student experience. This session shifted the focus to staff experiences, completing the picture and reminding us that many autistic students will themselves become autistic academics and support staff!

Neil Kenny and Jane O’Kelly shared findings from their research into Autistic Staff Experiences in Higher Education. Lecturer Eoin Salley from CCT also joined the panel, where he shared his own experiences. Fiona Earley, Autism Friendly University Coordinator at DCU, moderated the discussion.

Our Panelists

Watch Event

A full recording of the event can be viewed here.

Libraries and the Autistic Community

Date: Wednesday 26th March

"A library outranks any other one thing a community can do to benefit its people. It is a never-failing spring in the desert." - Andrew Carnegie. 

Both academic and public libraries are creating more inclusive environments and services to support the autistic community. Dr Johanna Archbold from ATU Library shared developments in inclusive practices within their academic libraries, focusing on space design, service accessibility, engagement strategies, and tailored support initiatives. Ultan McNasser from Sligo Central Library showcased their SenseAbility programme, designed to enhance accessibility for neurodivergent individuals, as well as their ongoing community engagement initiatives. The presentation also highlighted The Word, a monthly literary event co-hosted by Sligo Central Library and ATU Sligo’s BA in Writing & Literature, where students and staff actively participate and present their work. 

Tamara Malone from NCI’s Norma Smurfit Library, who created a display of neurodivergent reads for library visitors during the festival week, joined the panel discussion, chaired by Mary McShane from DKIT Library. A student voice was also included in the panel to provide first-hand insights into the impact of these initiatives. 

Our Panelists

Watch Event

A full recording of the event can be viewed here.

Harnessing Neurodiversity in the Modern Workplace

Date: Thursday 27th March

NCI’s Dave Cormack, programme director of the new Certificate in Harnessing Neurodiversity in the Modern Workplace microcredential programme at NCI, explored how both employers and employees, typical and neurodivergent people, can work together to fully realise the potential of neurodivergent people in the workplace. He was joined by Colm McNamee, Cuimsiú (Inclusion) Employability Mentor with Fastrack into Information Technology (FIT), Gwen Doyle, Strategic HR Partner at Solas and Adam O'Brien, Events Manager. 

Our Panelists

Watch Event

A full recording of the event can be viewed here.

AsIAm Employment Seminar

This seminar, hosted by AsIAm and supported by Bank of Ireland and Community Foundation Ireland, took place on Saturday 29th March from 9.30am-5pm at NCI's Mayor Square building, aiming to support both Autistic Jobseekers and employers interested in becoming more autism-friendly.

Further information on the event can be found here.

Additional Resources

• Your local Education and Training board
• Your local YouthReach programme
• Your local Employability services
• AsIAm are a useful resource for most queries, see AsIAm Employment

#DivergentMinds Event

A digital exhibition of visual art, poetry, multimedia, film and other creative work took place across the Festival on the social media channels of all participating HEIs and continue until all have been displayed. These were shared at 11am each day, to encourage people to share their coffee break with some neurodivergent creativity.

Search for #DivergentMinds on Instagram, Facebook and X (formerly Twitter). 

This year’s exhibition was curated by Sam Mooney (they/she), a queer neurodivergent writer and poet based in Dublin. They recently finished studying an MA in Creative Writing and is currently the VP for Diversity and Inclusion in the student union. Her writing explores what it means to be neurodivergent and the effects it has on one's mental health.

#DivergentMinds Creations 

• "Misty Ireland" by Kate Dowling
• "Patti Smith" by Sam Gleeson
• Artwork by Irina McAuley
• Poster by Ray Kane

What I (Don’t) Know About Autism

A play by Jody O’Neill
With cast including Eleanor Walsh

Inspired by the writer’s own experience with autism and using narrative, song and dance, this play is a sometimes comic, sometimes heart-breaking look at the world of autism. Performed by a cast of autistic and non-autistic actors, it celebrates autistic identity whilst offering deeper insight and understanding to non-autistic audiences. 

On Sunday 3rd March at 7pm, we invited guests to an exclusive watch party of this play.

On Monday 4th March at 1pm, Jody and Eleanor were interviewed by Fiona Earley, Autism Friendly University Coordinator at DCU, and joined by an expert panel, including Eleanor McSherry (filmmaker and lecturer), Anne Tannam (poet and creative coach) and Lauren Melissa Ellzey (author and @Autienelle on Twitter/X), to discuss both the play itself and the broader topic of creativity and resilience (both generally and specifically in relation to autistic creatives).

Our Panelists

Watch Event

A recording of the event can be viewed here.

Other Resources

During the event, Eleanor McSherry highlighted courses in UCC which may be of interest to anyone who wishes to develop their knowledge of neurodiversity:

• Continuing Professional Development Cert in Neurodiversity in the Creative Industries
• Continuing Professional Development Cert in Wellbeing Coordination [for the Creative and Film Industries]

These neurodiversity courses are designed and delivered by a neurodivergent team who are academics and arts practitioners. The wellbeing coordination course is designed and delivered by a team of creatives who are also highly qualified individuals, not only in the arts and the creative industry, but they are also immersed in the wellbeing industry.

These courses are supported and funded by Screen Ireland and the Irish Theatre Institute, the last two courses are under the Irish Government initiative of Safe to Create. Please email Eleanor for further details on these courses.

Inclusive Practices in Teaching and Learning at Third Level

Facilitated by NCI Professor Leo Casey, Director of the Centre for Education and Lifelong Learning, this session shared positive experiences of both lecturers and students, highlighting things that have worked both in the teaching and the learning practice.  

Our panel members for this exciting event were as follows:

Lecturers

• Keith Hopper and Elske Rahill, ATU Sligo, the Writing and Literature programme
• James Garza, CCT, Data Analytics and Computing Lecturer
• Emer Thornbury, NCI, Computing Lecturer, Computing Support Tutor

Students

• Brigid MacMurrough, ATU Sligo
• Cass O’Kelly, NCAD
• Alexandra Pimentel, DCU

Our Panelists

Watch Event

A full recording of the event can be viewed here.

Additional Resources

• Emer Thornbury presentation - Inclusive Teaching Practices

Autism and the Work Environment

Robert Ward, from NCI, moderated a panel about supporting autistic staff in the workplace, and was joined by :

• Claire O'Neill at The Adult Autism Practice
• Edel McSorley at Mr Price 

Any autistic person exploring the world of work and/or any employer was encouraged to attend this session: those with questions around reasonable accommodations or the positive impact on a business of active inclusion of autistic staff, had them answered by our expert panel.

Our Panelists

Watch Event

A full recording of the event can be viewed here.

Additional Resources

• AsIAm - Ireland's National Autism Charity. Visit AsIAm website.
• Specialisterne - Specialisterne Ireland is a specialist consultancy for neurodivergent people. Visit Specialisterne website.

Autism and Health

Susan Madigan from DCU spoke with Dr Mary Doherty, founder of Autistic Doctors International (ADI) who has written a paper called SPACE about making healthcare settings more autism friendly. The conversation was expanded to include the patient perspective, where they were joined by Brigid MacMurrough, Kayren Hayes and Lindsey Gordon, who shared some of their experiences accessing healthcare.

Our Panelists

Watch Event

A full recording of the event can be viewed here.

Additional Resources

• Reading - Autistic SPACE: a novel framework for meeting the needs of autistic people in healthcare settings

17 April - 4 May 2023

At 11am every day throughout Autism Acceptance Week and beyond, neurodivergent students shared their art, poetry and more on the hashtag #DivergentMinds, posted on @NCIRL and shared by DCU and ATU Sligo. 

Take a break from work or study for your elevenses, and look inside some divergent minds.

• "Pickles" by Anonymous
• "Brain on Fire" by Gemma Doyle
• "Untitled" by Brigid L MacMurrough
• "The Show" by Anonymous
• "Electrophoresis" by Jen Carberry
• "First Light" by Niamh Gibbons
• "Sickening Shelter" by Anonymous
• "Learning When The Lights Go Green" by Andie
• "Acceptance" by Katie
• A collection of artwork by Anonymous
• Map Design of ATU Sligo by Ryan

Videos

"Am I Disabled Enough" by Sam

"Who Am I" by Lia H James

1-2pm, Tuesday 18th April 2023

Jessica K Doyle is Autistic, Adhd and otherwise Neurodivergent, an Assistant Psychologist at the Adult Autism Practice and a Director at Thriving Autistic. Jessica K is the co-author of The Adult Autism Assessment Handbook. Jessica K is currently consulting on an autism, neurodiversity and relationships project at the Muiriosa Foundation, and is the 2022 chair of the PSI Special Interest Group in Autism. Jessica K is a speaker, writer and filmmaker exploring her own experience as an Autistic adult and her somewhat scenic journey through life as well as exploring theory, research and practice relating to sensory perception and Autistic/ND experience. 

Jessica K consults for various organisation and has conducted international research and is a current researcher on several projects with DCU. Jessica K is passionate about exploring Autistic perception and repositioning the lens away from thwarting Neurodivergent authenticity to designing for diversity, fostering growth and committing to universal design. 

You can view a recording of this event, which includes a showing of Jessica K’s film, When I grow up I want to be…  and the Q&A that followed, moderated by Fiona Earley, Autism Friendly University Coordinator at DCU. Or you can simply watch the film without commentary (approx. 20 min duration) below. 

Note, at times the screen goes dark and there is audio only: this is part of the film. Also mentioned during the Q&A is another short informational video by Jessica K on The Autistic Neurotype, or if you prefer to watch the video without background music, please see The Autistic Neurotype (No Music Version).

Jessica also recommends this useful resource on monotropism (a theory of autism by autistic people).

While our events focused on Higher Education, Jessica recommends this book by an Irish Autistic adult, teacher and parent, which would be helpful when guiding autistic children through the transition from primary to secondary school - The Strengths-Based Guide to Supporting Autistic Children.

Another useful resource is Thriving Autistic, which links to an international network of neurodivergent psychologists, therapists, coaches and educators, as well as many free resources, including for families, the workplace and healthcare.

1-2.30pm, Wednesday 19th April 2023

The panel included Amanda Mc Guinness, AsIAm; Miranda Lee Curry, current NCI student; Dr Marc Farbi, Leeds Beckett University, who each presented their advice to educators and then answered questions, moderated by Dr Leo Casey, Director CELL at NCI.

Amanda spoke about her past experiences of attending University as an undergraduate without supports and accommodations in place and her current positive experiences of attending University to undertake a Masters with supports and accommodations that suit her learning style and strengths as an Autistic individual. 

Miranda shared her perspective on what autistic students want an educator to know: who is autistic? and working against your internal biases, and the invisible barriers to education. 

Based on his experiences from the Autism&Uni and IMAGE projects, Marc talked about how best to support young autistic people during the transition from school into third-level education, and then into employment. His talk is particularly relevant to academics, disability advisors and careers advisors working in a university context. 

Following their presentations, a panel discussion was moderated by Dr Leo Casey, Director of the Centre for Education and Lifelong Learning at NCI. 

Amanda Mc Guinness is an Autistic Advocate and an Autism & Visual Supports Specialist. She is a Law Graduate currently undertaking a Master of Childhood Speech Language and Communication Needs at University Galway. Amanda is a Training Officer in AsIAm and the creator of the “Auti” character online through her social media littlepuddins.ie, which teaches and educates on Autistic lived experiences. Her areas of specialism include Visual Supports, Autistic Identity & Culture, Autistic Masking, Autistic Communication, and Autistic Lived Experience Education. She has extensive experience supporting Autistic children and their families. 

Miranda Curry is a 29-year-old autistic woman currently earning a BA Honours degree in Psychology at NCI. She is originally from Florida, USA, and she moved to Dublin in 2021. Currently, she also works part-time as a Research Intern at the Early Learning Initiative (ELI) at NCI, and she has recently started her work as an Autistic Advocate. Her career aspirations are to work in autism research to improve psychology’s, and therefore society’s, understanding of the autistic mind, to lead to better supports and treatment. As an advocate, she hopes to become a bridge between the research and autistic communities. 

Dr Marc Fabri is Reader in Participatory Design at Leeds Beckett University. His research revolves around supporting autistic young people during the key transitions from school into further and higher education, and then into employment. He has led three multinational, European funded projects: Autism&Uni, IMAGE and DesignMyFuture.

You can now view a live recording of this event. During the Q&A, Amanda recommended the books of Dr Luke Beardon, Marc includes links to many additional resources in his slides, which you can access here. Marc briefly referred to Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and you can learn more here.

1-2pm, Thursday 20th April 2023

Ollie Bell from ShoutOut spoke about the autistic LGBTQ+ experience, in particular around trans identity and trans rights.

Ollie Bell first got involved with ShoutOut as a volunteer in 2016. They are now working with ShoutOut as their Education Coordinator, after completing their Masters in Community and Youth Work at Maynooth University. They work with ShoutOut's many amazing volunteers and liaise with schools interested in having LGBTQ+ educational workshops Following Ollie’s presentation, Linda Mulligan, Disability and Inclusion Officer at ATU Sligo, will moderate an audience Q&A.

You can watch back this event here. During the conversation, Ollie referenced Belong To (support group for LGBTQ+ youth) and TENI (support group for trans people). Ollie also mentioned that both autistic and LGBTQ+ people can be subject to bullying and abuse. If you have been affected by bullying, this article will be of value to you. Those seeking to assist others or who are themselves living in an abusive relationship can find support here. Linda has provided us with a number of other resources.

1-2.30pm, Friday 21st April 2023

Moderated by Marketing Director, Robert Ward (in his role as a member of NCI’s Autism Friendly Campus committee), Peter Brabazon of Specialisterne was joined by Graham Keatley from SAP and Ryan McGinley from Accenture to talk about both the employer and employee experience in attracting and retaining neurodivergent candidates.

You can watch a recording of this event here and you can access the videos that were mentioned during the event below:

• Specialisterne Ireland Employees
• Specialisterne Ireland Employers

Read

• The Adult Autism Assessment Handbook by Jessica K. Doyle and Davida Hartman
• Books by Dr Luke Beardon
• The Strengths Based Guide to Supporting Autistic Children by Claire O'Neill

Explaining Autism to Young People

• Littlepuddins.ie is a site created by Amanda Mc Guinness, featuring her character Autie, who shares a lived experience of autism.
• Aoife Dooley’s Frankie’s World and Finding My Voice are graphic novels designed for tween to teen readers, following Frankie from diagnosis through school life.

Books on the Intersection of Autism and Trans and/or Non-Binary People: 

• Book review by Katie Munday: Working with Autistic Transgender and Non-Binary people: Research, Practice and Experience edited by Marianthi Kourti – Aucademy 
• The Autistic Trans Guide to Life by Yenn Purkis, Dr Wenn Lawson | Waterstones

Books About Autism by Autistic Authors: 

• Different, Not Less - Chloe Hayden - 9781922616180 (omahonys.ie) 
• Unmasking Autism - Devon Price - 9781800960558 (omahonys.ie) 
• What I Mean When I Say I'm Autistic: Unpuzzling a Life on the Autism Spectrum eBook : Kotowicz, Annie: Amazon.co.uk: Books
• Untypical: How the World Isn’t Built for Autistic People and What We Should All Do About It (Audio Download): Pete Wharmby, Pete Wharmby, HarperCollins: Amazon.co.uk: Books
• The Autism and Neurodiversity Self Advocacy Handbook: Developing the Skills to Determine Your Own Future: Amazon.co.uk: Cook, Barb, Purkis, Yenn: 9781787755758: Books 

Applied Behavioural Analysis and Masking 

• Aucademy have a ‘Start Here’ resource for those who are newly diagnosed or want to learn more about the autistic experience. The resources therein cover various different issues, including masking: Starting your Autistic discovery journey – Aucademy 

Organisations Run by Autistic and Neurodivergent People, for that Group:

• AsIAm Ireland 
• Ausome Training 
• Aucademy 
• Neuroclastic 
• We Are Unmasked
• Monotropism.org
• Thriving Autistic

7-9pm, Tuesday 26th April 2022

Seeing the Unseen is an Icelandic documentary, sharing the stories of 17 autistic women. The film was then at the centre of Wednesday’s panel discussion (which included Elín Sigurðadóttir, one of the women featured in the film pictured above, alongside Stefanie Preissner and Aoife Dooley).  

Access to view the documentary was provided by kind permission of the film’s Director and Producer, Bjarney Luðviksdottir, specifically to inform NCI/DCU’s panel discussion. For any queries regarding licensing this documentary, contact bjarney@eyjafilm.com. 

Content Advice: 

This documentary details both positive and negative experiences autistic women have had; be aware that the negative experiences include suicidal thoughts and descriptions of bullying (particularly at 22:30 to 26:40), and physical and sexual violence (particularly at 34:34 to 36:58). 

Resources:

• Samaritans: If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts, phone the Samaritans now on 116 113. You can find further supports here.
• Spunout: If you have been affected by bullying, this article will be of value to you
• SafeIreland: Those seeking to assist others or who are themselves living in an abusive relationship can find support here

1-2.30pm, Wednesday 27th April

Elín Sigurðadóttir, one of the women featured in Seeing the Unseen, was joined by Stefanie Preissner (writer, podcaster, actress, influencer) and Aoife Dooley (illustrator, author and stand-up comedian), to share and discuss the experiences of autistic women and girls and respond to audience questions. Facilitated by Fiona Early, Autism Friendly Campus Coordinator at DCU.

Aoife Dooley is an award-winning illustrator, author and comedian. She is also a graphic designer and public speaker.In 2018 Aoife was diagnosed as Autistic at the age of 27, She has shared how a diagnosis helped her to truly begin to understand herself and has created comics and diagrams around the subject of what Autism is to her.  In 2020, Scholastic UK acquired rights to Frankie’s World, a graphic novel based on Aoife’s real-life experiences of Autism. It was published in January 2022 and with praise from the Guardian and the Irish Times amongst others, it went to reprint after a month of its release. Frankie’s World is being published by Graphix and will be coming to stores across the US in August 2022.

Elín Sigurðadóttir is a 31-year-old student, who is also a radio amateur and scout, late diagnosed as autistic at the age of 26. She is currently studying Applied Earth Sciences at the Technical University of Delft, Netherlands, because she is interested in the technology behind studying natural phenomena. She also happens to like rocks, especially volcanic, but that's a given!  She participated in the movie Seeing the Unseen because she felt like it was the right thing to do, and has since participated in viewings, Q&A's and discussion panels on autism, whenever she has the spoons or gets the chance to. 

Stefanie Preissner is a screen-writer, author and weekly columnist for the Sunday Independent LIFE Magazine. She hosts a popular contemporary podcast Basically…. with Stefanie Preissner and is a regular radio and TV contributor. She was nominated for the 2021 Mental Health Media Awards for her continued work reducing stigma by sharing her own struggles in her newspaper column and podcast. Stefanie is proudly autistic.

Resources

• Spoon Theory: Elín mentioned this theory which is a metaphor for the amount of mental or physical energy a person has available for daily activities
• Spoon Theory Analogy: An audience member came up with her own way of describing spoons to neurotypical friends
• Spectrum Women: Stefanie Preissner mentioned finding this book, written by Barb Cook, useful
• Autistics Ireland Facebook Group: An idea that arose from the event was a space where Autistic Women could gather and share their experiences. The seeds of this idea have been planted, and if they come to fruit, we will add details to this resource page. In the meantime, there is an existing Facebook Group for Autistic Adults in Ireland which you might like to join

1-2.30pm, Thursday 28th April

Lessons for educators: how can educators help autistic students to thrive in their classrooms and their institutions? What would members of the autistic community wish that people around them in educational and other settings knew?

Laoċín Brennan – Neurodiversity my experience

Laoċín was the first GetAHEAD intern in AHEAD, and is now Team Support Officer, a multifaceted role including public speaking on topics such as self-advocacy, the language of disability and the history of neurodivergence. Laoċín founded DCU’s Neurodivergent Society, the first of its kind in Europe. During his time in DCU he won many awards for his contributions to college life, including DCU's President's Award for Student Engagement 2020/21. He is passionate about human rights and takes an intersectional approach. Laoċín became aware of ableism in 2013, upon receiving the first of many diagnoses. Now, he is pursuing a career in disability advocacy with vigour, in the hopes of being the change he wants to see in the world. 

Billy Redmond - Making acceptance happen in education

Billy is currently Principal of North Wicklow Educate Together Secondary School. He also works as a consultant with a number of educational partners such as AsIAm, Irelands National Autism charity where he is supporting the Autism Friendly Schools Project with over 100 schools.  Previously he worked as National Co-ordinator for Teacher Induction (Post-Primary) (NIPT) and as a RDO with the National Behaviour Support Service (NBSS). He received his BEd Degree as a Home Economics and Religion and was teaching for 12 years prior to secondment. He has studied at postgraduate level in Guidance & Counselling, School Development Planning, Educational Management and Mentoring, Induction and CPD. 

Ciara-Beth Ní Ghríofa – What I wish people around me knew

Ciara-Beth  was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder when she was 14, but has been Autistic her entire life. After building an application to support Autistic people in making and maintaining eye contact in a way that's comfortable for them as a research project, she discovered a passion for using and developing technologies to make the world more accessible to Autistic people. She's now in her final year of a psychology and computing degree in UCC, and is excited to continue advocating for making our society a more accessible one for neurodiverse people. 

Resources

• Universal Design for Learning (AHEAD): Our first speaker, Laocín, mentioned UDL and how this framework can improve the learning experience of all students
• Data and Statistics (AHEAD): Laocín quoted figures for students noted in each disability cohort in higher education institutions
• Mindset - The New Psychology of Success: Billy Redmond recommended this book written by Carol S, Dweck, Ph.D.
• Stimming: This topic was discussed during the conversation

1-2pm, Friday 29th April

Eric discussed themes from his book We’re not broken. Changing the autism conversation, which he describes as a message from autistic people to their parents, friends, teachers, co-workers, and doctors, showing what life is like on the spectrum. It’s also his love letter to autistic people: “For too long, we have been forced to navigate a world where all the road signs are written in another language.”

Eric Garcia is the senior Washington correspondent for The Independent and a columnist for MSNBC. Previously, he was an assistant editor at the Washington Post's Outlook section and an associate editor at The Hill and a correspondent for National Journal, MarketWatch and Roll Call. He has also written for the Daily Beast, the New Republic, and Salon.com. Garcia is a graduate of the University of North Carolina. He lives in Washington, D.C.

Resources

• We're Not Broken - Changing The Autism Conversation: Eric's book is available to be purchased online for delivery to Ireland, or can be ordered through your local bookshop
• Autism friendly University Design Guide: The architect consulted by DCU was Magda Mostafa. Read the guide for further information
• NCI's Autism Friendly Initiative: NCI is a designated autism-friendly higher education institution. Visit our Autism Friendly Initiative section to learn more
• Specialisterne Ireland: Both DCU and NCI work with Specialisterne Ireland to support autistic students into employment

Watch

• Crip Camp on Netflix 
• Douglas (Stand up) on Netflix 
• Employable Me on BBC 
• Spoon Theory
• Ted Talk: Invisible Diversity: A Story Of Undiagnosed Autism
• Ted Talk: A Higher Functioning Form Of Autism

Listen

• Broad Spectrum: Seriously episode
• Autistica Podcast: Sensory Differences episode
• Life Hacks: Invisible Disabilities episode 
• Faster than Normal: ADHD podcast  
• Dyspraxic Help 4U: Dyspraxia podcast 
• 1800 Seconds on Autism: Autism podcast 
• Newstalk: Getting diagnosed with autism at 36-years old segment on Moncrieff

Read

• Can I Tell You About Autism? A Guide For Friends, Family and Professionals written by Jude Welton
• All Cats Are On The Autism Spectrum written by Kathy Hoopmann
• The Little Book of Autism FAQs: How to Talk with Your Child about Their Diagnosis and Other Conversations written by Davida Hartman
• Disability Visibility: First-Person Stories from the Twenty-First Century written by Alice Wong
• But You Don't Look Autistic At All written by Bianca Toeps
• NeuroTribes written by Steve Silberman
• The Reason I Jump written by Naoki Higashida
• Drama Queen: One Autistic Woman and a Life of Unhelpful Labels written by Sara Gibbs

Explaining Autism to Younger People 

• Dr Stephen Shore: Stephen was diagnosed back in the 50s or 60s and is now one of the leading Educational Psychologists in the field. He discusses how we can have this conversation in an age-appropriate way and build on it over time:
• Children's Videos about Autism: Rosie King has been an autism advocate since she was a young child. She made this nice short documentary for the BBC and her and her brother's autism
• RTÉ: The series called Pablo is all written and animated by autistic people and explains the condition. Both the BBC and RTÉ produced this together 
• Sesame Street: Julia is an autistic character on Sesame Street