AsIAm was delighted to recognise RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences as an Autism Friendly HEI on Friday 7th November with a launch event in the Albert Lecture Theatre. This award is a milestone development for RCSI, which will enhance student experience as well as universal accessibility.
During the event, Adam Harris, founder and CEO of AsIAm, shared that the award is ‘a celebration for all of what has been achieved’. However, Mr Harris also spoke of how ‘inclusion is never a one and done. It is an ongoing process, a dialogue and a change. It is a co-creation, between Autistic people, academics, and all who make up the institution. We know how busy all universities are, and it speaks volumes that RCSI have chosen to prioritise this issue and have given so generously of [their] time to get to this juncture.’
Also speaking at the launch, Eunan Friel, MD for Surgical Affairs, thanked the VisABILITY Forum for raising the bar and raising the awareness within RCSI. Meanwhile, Aisling Reast, Head of Quality Enhancement at RSCI, remarked that the event ‘marks a very significant milestone in RCSI’s commitment to inclusion and accessibility. Through training, we have strengthened understanding and awareness across our community. These training sessions didn’t just inform. They transformed perspectives, helping us to see barriers that many us hadn’t seen.’
One such perspective shift came in the form of the student-founded Autistic Art Club. Its founder, Zoe McCormack, shared how the club started with AsIAm’s Adult Support Groups, but is now proudly hosted and implemented within RCSI. She also shared how the club is ‘an opportunity to get students involved’. Fiona, a volunteer at the Autistic Art Club shared how ‘it is much more than an art club’ describing how she ‘felt a great sense of belonging’, giving Autistic students ‘a great chance for people to really be themselves’.
Professor Cathal Kelly, Vice Chancellor and CEO of RCSI, was enthusiastic in receiving the award, stating, ‘RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences is honoured to be recognised by AsIAm as an Autism Friendly HEI. This is the result of the dedication and commitment of our VisABILITY Forum, a staff and student group which supports the rights of disabled students and staff. We are grateful to AsIAm for their support and guidance throughout the application process, and we look forward to continuing to develop an inclusive culture which supports our Autistic students, staff and patients.’
Meanwhile, AsIAm is delighted to recognise RCSI with their Autism Friendly HEI Award. CEO Adam Harris shared how the ‘accreditation process is rigorous and requires a whole of campus approach to breaking down barriers for both Autistic students and employees. Autistic people often face invisible barriers in the worlds of education and employment, which prevent our community enjoying the same chance to contribute and thrive, representing a major loss of talent and perspective to academic institutions and our society. Demographically we are seeing more Autistic people age out of school, or access adult diagnosis, and it will be critical for HEIs to be fully accessible to our community as places of study and work over the coming decade. RCSI's new status will not only open doors of opportunity to our community as students and employees but lead to greater understanding and improved accessibility for Autistic people accessing healthcare - a key priority for our community which makes RCSI's leadership in this area of strategic importance and significance’.
