National College of Ireland is proud to announce that our Autism Friendly status has been renewed by Autism advocacy group AsIAm.
NCI was first accredited as an Autism Friendly Higher Education Institution by AsIAm in 2021, being the second HEI in the world to achieve this award.

We would like to warmly congratulate National College of Ireland on achieving its second Autism-Friendly HEI Award, building on the success of the college's first Autism-Friendly HEI Award, which was implemented over the course of the last 3 years. In achieving and maintaining this standard, NCI is demonstrating its long-term commitment to breaking down barriers for Autistic students and staff and formally recognising the clear benefits of ensuring all in their college community have the same chance to access, engage with and contribute to NCI life." ~ Adam Harris, Founder and CEO of AsIAm

AsIAm is Ireland’s National Autism Charity. AsIAm aims to create a society in which every autistic person is empowered to reach their own personal potential and fully participate in society. AsIAm believe Ireland can be the most autism-friendly country in the world, and that significant goal can be achieved by continuously working to develop the space of the autism community, ensuring to address the societal barriers to inclusion. 

AsIAm’s Autism Friendly HEI initiative addresses the fact that although more autistic people are entering higher education, the number who graduate is comparatively small. Furthermore, those who do graduate are likely to experience unemployment or underemployment. Nurturing an autism friendly environment in a college can go a long way towards alleviating these problems. 

“At National College of Ireland, we are delighted to continue our relationship with AsIAm and continue on our journey to making the college experience, for all staff and students, accessible, welcoming and positive.” ~ Karen Mooney, Student Support and Welfare Manager at NCI. 

Harnessing Neurodiversity in the Workplace:
National College of Ireland is immensely proud to announce that NCI will now be offering a brand-new course that explores neurodiversity with a view to graduates gaining a solid base of knowledge and skills to take advantage of the opportunities and develop strategies around the challenges for organisations gaining the full potential of Neurodiverse employees. 
The Certificate in Harnessing Neurodiversity in the Modern Workplace course will take place online for the duration of 5 weeks. 
This course has been carefully designed for:

• An individual who is working or planning to work in an organisation with a neurodiverse workforce 
• Employers who want to understand and access neurodiverse talent and/or harness the neurodiversity of their current workforce  
• People with a Clinical / Psychological / Occupational Therapy background who assist people from the neurodiversity community seeking employment  

Continue Reading to Learn More Course Info and Entry Requirements. 
 

To see the range of support services offered at National College of Ireland, visit our How We Can Help page and learn more about NCI’s bespoke Sensory Room, our Disability Support Service, our Careers Support service, and our Sensory Alerts. The College is also committed to 9 key principles of autism inclusion across all areas of college life. 

“I am very proud of National College of Ireland’s revalidation as an Autism Friendly HEI. This award represents an ongoing, collaborative, living commitment to make the College a welcoming place for autistic students." ~  NCI President, Professor Gina Quin.

9 Principles of Autism Inclusion:
1.    Encourage and enable students with autism to transition into and participate in NCI programmes.
2.    Support and build capacity to equip students with autism to meet the academic challenges of everyday NCI life.
3.    Support and build capacity to equip students with autism to meet the social challenges of NCI life.
4.    Seek to establish an autism friendly operational environment.
5.    Seek to combat the stigma around autism and recognise the diverse experiences of those with the condition.
6.    Develop understanding and relevant knowledge and skills within the NCI community (staff and service providers).
7.    Establish channels so that students with autism can have a voice in various aspects of NCI life.
8.    Seek to increase future employability of students with autism.
9.    Build capacity throughout the institution to support autistic employees.

Inclusion and equity of opportunity are crucial to our mission to change lives through education at National College of Ireland, and we are thrilled to be renewing our Autism Friendly Award. We would like to thank AsIAm for their ongoing support and guidance, as the College continually strives to ensure that NCI is a supportive, welcoming environment for all students and staff. We would also like to say congratulations and well done to all the members of NCI staff and faculty who are committed to adopting supportive measures for all. We look forward to seeing how our commitment to inclusivity and support for all continues to evolve. 

#ChangingLivesThroughEducation