Autism Acceptance Festival

DCU, NCI and ATU Sligo are, respectively, the first, second and third HEIs in Ireland to receive AsIAm designation as Autism Friendly HEIs. In 2024, CCT and DkIT both received their designations. NCAD are continuing the work in preparation for application.

In 2025, we six higher education institutes are proud to work together again to host the Autism Acceptance Festival again. Now in it's 4th year, this festival hosts a series of public-facing events that centre autistic people and promote autism acceptance.

Learn more about the speakers in this event and find more events in this series by visiting our Festival Hub.

Autistic Staff Experiences in Higher Education

Time: 1-2pm
Date: Tuesday 25th March

Much of an Autism Friendly HEI’s initiatives focus on student experience. This session shifts 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 will share findings from their research into Autistic Staff Experiences in Higher Education. Lecturer Eoin Salley from CCT will join the panel, both to share his own experiences and to broaden the discussion, with moderator Fiona Earley, Autism Friendly University Coordinator at DCU.

Our Panelists

Bios for our panelists can be found at the end of the page.

How to Register

Sign up via the form below to secure your place at this event.

Other Autism Acceptance Festival Events

If you are interested in finding out more about our other events, please visit our Festival Hub to check out what is happening.

More information on our panelists

Eoin Salley

Eoin Salley is a Lecturer and Learning Technologist with CCT College. He is autistic, and has worked with neurodivergent students, in both further education and higher education settings, for the last 15 years. His background is in computer programming and interactive technologies with a strong emphasis on learning techniques and classroom culture.