The Minister for Education and Skills announced a rehaul of the criteria for granting exemptions from studying Irish earlier this week. The new rules for the exemptions will be in place for the new school year in September of this year. A public consultation was organised by the Department on the issue. Individuals from across …
Explainer: New Rules for Irish Language ExemptionsRead More »
Mark O’Keefe, celebrity hairdresser and owner of the Sugar Club, made headlines last week in his heartfelt letter to his five-year old son Riley. Riley received an autism diagnosis two and a half years ago, and has so far been unsuccessful in gaining a school place. Last Friday I sat down with Riley’s parents, Mark …
Coming ahead of some stiff competition, AsIAm and Supervalu have won the Corporate Charity Partnership of the Year award. AsIAm and SuperValu have a strong partnership in supporting communities to become autism-friendly. Our partnership has seen the roll-out of Autism-Friendly Shopping in over 100 SuperValu stores across Ireland. This is supplemented with the development of …
AsIAm and Supervalu’s Corporate Charity Partnership Earns AwardRead More »
In the wake of Joel Langford’s tragic death, I wanted to discuss the unique nature of bullying directed at autistic people. Neil Kenny is a Researcher at the National Anti-Bullying Research and Resource Centre (ABC) at DCU. He holds an B.A. in Psychology from University College Dublin, got his PhD from Maynooth University in 2011 and a Specialist …
After a highly successful debut in 2018, AbleFest is coming back to Co. Meath! I spoke to Shay Casserley, organiser of the festival about what we can expect this weekend. What inspired you to set up Able Fest? My son, Eoin, has a dual diagnosis of autism and Down syndrome. One day I saw …
Ireland’s First Disability Friendly Music Festival Enters Second YearRead More »
Jake O’Kane is 18 years old. He likes music, swimming and horse riding and he will soon be moved 70km away from his family. Jake lived with his mother Linda until February 2018 when he moved to a full-time unit in County Wicklow. However, this unit was for children and Jake becoming an adult meant …
Autistic Son To Be Relocated 70km Away From FamilyRead More »
Hello, and welcome to Our Week Online. This edition will be the last news roundup on AsIAm.ie, at least in this format. Thank you for reading, and we hope you enjoyed the stories shared each week for the past nine months. If you enjoyed Our Week Online, please let us know. Researchers of a recent …
Welcome to Our Week Online, where we read the internet so you don’t have to! A disability centre in Dublin has been sanctioned by HIQA after finding that “high-risk issues” were not being adequately addressed. Legislation for a pilot medical cannabis programme was signed by the Minister of Health this week. The aim of the …
Last Wednesday 19th June AsIAm Founder and CEO Adam Harris addressed the Oireachtas Committee on Public Petitions in a discussion on Mandatory Teacher Training on Spectrum Disorders, sharing insight on experiences of autistic students and parents in the education system, the need for universal design in teacher training and in schools, and recommendations for meaningful …
Welcome to Our Week Online, and what a wet week it’s been. Dublin LGBTQ+ Pride has announced a number of new accessibility initiatives to make the Pride parade on June 29th more inclusive. They include a quiet area in Merrion Square’s Pride Village, a second assembly point for people who would like to participate in …
High Contrast