On Monday, March 3rd, 2025, two brilliant NCI students, Larisa Murphy and Leah O Driscoll, had the fantastic opportunity to chat to Michael O’Kane at Dublin City FM all about neurodiversity, and the importance of acceptance and inclusion.
Accompanied by Dave Cormack, Assistant Professor in NCI’s School of Business and Programme Director of NCI’s newest microcredential Harnessing Neurodiversity in the Modern Workplace, who spoke on how there is an ongoing need for modern workplaces to not just tolerate neurodiversity, but embrace it, Larisa and Leah shared personal insights about why a sense of belonging is so important at college.
About the course
Neurodiverse individuals are renowned for their creative thinking and problem-solving abilities. Enterprise is at the juncture where proactive embracing of diversity is becoming a vital component of success. Where this has happened there is consistent positive feedback on increased team cohesion and overall performance. Neurodiversity’s core idea is that these neurodevelopmental differences should be recognised and respected as a natural and essential part of human diversity. Many employers and academic studies are now recognising the range of benefits that having more neurodiversity in an organisation can bring in terms of creativity, innovation, productivity. This 5 week, microcredential programme will allow students to learn more about neurodiversity in the workplace of today and how an organisation can harness the many benefits of this approach.
You can keep reading here to learn more about Harnessing Neurodiversity in the Modern Workplace.
NCI’s commitment to continuously creating an inclusive campus
In October 2024, National College of Ireland proudly shared the news 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. Naturally, we are immensely proud of this accreditation, as it recognises NCI’s commitment to continuously evolving and ensuring that all students and members of NCI staff, across all departments, feel that the College is a safe, welcoming environment where they feel encouraged to thrive and confident in the knowledge that support is always there when needed.
Upcoming events to promote inclusion
As we move closer to the Autism Acceptance Festival, it is insightful to see some of the ongoing work for neurodiversity inclusion taking place at NCI. Now in its 4th year, the Autism Acceptance Festival is a series of public-facing events to centre autistic people and promote autism acceptance. All events will be online and free to attend. Further details will be announced in the coming weeks.
You can keep reading here to keep an eye out for upcoming event information about how you can enjoy the Autism Acceptance Festival.
Creating community at NCI
Complimenting academic and administrative efforts, it is wonderful to see that a Neurodiversity Society has been officially established, as it has been attempted before, but it really took shape and soared this year. It is highly rewarding to see passionate students come together, aligned, and connecting due to their shared goals. The aspirations and aims of the Neurodiversity Society are to spread awareness about the fact that there is a neurodiverse community at NCI, to create a network and a community so that people can connect, share experiences, and most crucially to create safe spaces for anyone who identifies as neurodivergent, so that people know that there are places for them, they’re never alone at NCI, and they will never be judged for who they are, or how they feel. These sentiments are echoed by NCI staff, because while it is fantastic to see students connecting and building these bonds, it is vital that all students, neurodiverse or not, know that they are being supported by teams of people who want to see them succeed and thrive personally, academically, and professionally.
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.
At National College of Ireland, we want to congratulate and say very well done to Larisa, Leah, and Dave on a job very well done on the radio. An excellent, and very needed conversation was had about the importance of acceptance and inclusion, and looking to the future, where the hope is that embracing all skills, talents, and diverse ways of thinking in colleges, schools, and in the modern workplace will become the norm. We also wish to extend our thanks to Michael, Megan, and the rest of the Dublin City FM team for welcoming us to the studio.
You can tune in here to listen to this brilliant interview.
#ChangingLivesThroughEducation