Autism&Uni Student Toolkit
Some Questions & Answers...
What is the Autism&Uni Toolkit?
Autism&Uni is an EU-funded initiative to help autistic students during the transition into university. The project team created a toolkit (the Autism&Uni Toolkit) for use by universities and has been adapted by many universities in several different countries.
Built on an open-source platform, the toolkit is freely available for universities to adopt and adapt, as we have done so here in UCC.
The underlying ethos of the toolkit is that students can use it in their own time, do research about issues concerning them, and come back to it when particular difficulties arise.
You can read more about the Autism&Uni project here.
What is the aim of the toolkit?
The aim of the toolkit is to reduce anxiety and give clear guidance on many aspects of college life.
The toolkit is laid out in a logical way offering practical advice and detailed information on the student journey, from thinking about college to how to plan for further study or entering the workforce.
Further information and how to ask for further support is signposted for students.
How has it been adapted for the UCC context?
The development of the UCC Autism&Uni Toolkit has been shaped by the needs of autistic students in UCC, and informed by the research literature around autistic students in higher education.
The toolkit has been put together by drawing on existing resources from other universities in Ireland and the UK, as well as original content created specifically for the UCC context.
UCC students (with and without a diagnosis of autism) have helped shape the content both through review and their own contributions.
What do students say about the toolkit?
Feedback from students asked to review the toolkit prior to launch has been extremely positive. Students feel the toolkit will be of benefit to many students, not just those who have autism.
"This is honestly BRILLIANT! It's going to make such a difference to students starting in UCC.
It's going to make so many people's lives easier and reduce their nerves/anxiety."
- Student Reviewer of the UCC version of the Autism&Uni Toolkit.
