New website to help autistic students navigate barriers in third-level education

'Covid-19 has deepened many of the challenges which students will have to contend with,' according to AsIAm chief executive Adam Harris. Picture: Denis Minihane

A new website supporting autistic young people to navigate barriers they might face in higher-level education has launched this week.

Launched by national charity AsIAm, the website includes practical resources for third-level students, including financial and budgeting advice, virtual tours, and student recipes. 

Autistic people have a lot to offer to, and benefit from, higher education, according to Adam Harris, the chief executive of AsIAm.

“That said, often the barriers which prevent autistic people from choosing to attend or completing higher-level studies come from non-academic challenges,” he said.

Navigating busy campus environments, managing workload and anxiety, communicating with peers, and navigating complex university bureaucracy are just some examples of this. 

In 2018, AsIAm launched the world’s first framework for universities to achieve a whole of campus accreditation for autism-friendly practice. It was launched in partnership with Dublin City University, the first higher-level institution to implement the standard.

Since then, the National College of Ireland has also been accredited, and no fewer than five other institutions are working towards the recognition.

Mr Harris said: “In recent years, we have seen first-hand the impact small changes can have on improving outcomes for autistic students in higher education." 

Our Autism-Friendly Universities have seen third-level staff receive training in autism, specific calm spaces created on campuses, and significant increases in the number of young people disclosing a diagnosis to university authorities and accessing support. 

“Covid-19 has deepened many of the challenges which students will have to contend with – the transition to university may have not been as well planned due to the school closure periods during the pandemic and changes to the Leaving Cert process." 

“Additionally, attending a much larger, socially intense environment after the lengthy lockdown period could lead to some students feeling overwhelmed or exhausted.”

• According to AsIAm, the AutismFriendlyHEI.ie website has been created in close partnership with autistic third-level students. The website has been funded by Rethink Ireland through the Innovate Together Fund.