Tag: sensory pod

DCU- The World’s First Autism Friendly University

Greetings Earthlings! 🙂

To kick off Autism Awareness Month, this week I’d like to discuss a place that is very dear to my heart, Dublin City University (DCU) where I completed my masters just after my diagnosis. What’s unique about DCU is that in 2018 it became the world’s first designated autism friendly university. While it wasn’t designated an autism friendly university until after I had graduated, I always felt fully supported by the college and staff in my educational pursuits.

So how exactly does a university qualify as autism friendly?

DCU collaborated with ASIAM and Specialisterne Ireland on an 18-month research project to develop seven principles to define an autism friendly university:

  • “Encourage and enable autistic students to transition and participate in university programmes
  • Support and build capacity to equip autistic students to meet the academic challenges of everyday university life
  • Seek to establish an autism-friendly operational environment
  • Seek to combat the stigma around autism and recognise the diverse experiences of those with the condition
  • Develop understanding and relevant knowledge and skills within the university community
  • Establish channels so that autistic students can have a voice in various aspects of university life
  • Increase the employability of autistic graduates through a range of initiatives that will develop their soft-skills to support their transition beyond university”
Designated quiet space for autistic students

With these principles at their core, DCU offers students the following autism friendly facilities:

  • Sensory pods on campus for breaks
  • Five rooms are set aside in campus accommodation specifically for autistic students
  • Virtual maps with a specialized AI chatbot to help you find your way around campus
  • Designated quiet spaces, soundproof pods and recommendations for less busy walking routes to campus
  • Materials and resources for autistic students including sensory tips and advice
  • Disability service supports such as occupational therapy and exam accommodations
  • Social supports allowing autists to connect with other neurodivergent students
  • Autists are encouraged to email feedback to the college on ways to improve the 3rd level autistic experience
  • The college also runs a 3 day summer program specifically for autistic students to give them an introductory experience of third level education to help ease their transition

Autists are actively encouraged to email feedback to the college on ways to improve the third level autistic experience to ensure that the university keeps improving in it’s autism friendly initiatives. In addition, the college also runs a 3 day summer program specifically for autistic students to give them an introductory experience of third level education to help ease their transition.

On another note, the Nubar on the Glasnevin campus is famous for it’s chicken goujons- a beige staple for many autists! I took a trip up to campus last week and went up early just to see if the tenders were just as good 10 years later and can confirm that they are delicious 🤌🏻

This is an amazing initiative and many other universities in Ireland have followed suit in becoming autism friendly or setting up initiatives to become more autism friendly than they currently are. Similarly at an international level, universities in the UK, Canada and Australia are also following DCU’s example.

Hope you enjoyed this post dear Earthlings! 🙂

Have a lovely weekend!

Aoife

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Autism and Sensory Pods

Greetings Earthlings! 🙂

This week I’d like to talk about sensory pods and how they can be beneficial for autists!

So first things first, what is a sensory pod?

A sensory pod is an enclosed space designed to be calming and relaxing for autists. Each pod can be different but they are generally soundproofed to reduce outside noise, dimly lit with LED lighting (which has been scientifically linked to behavioural improvements) and may have cushions or a comfortable mat to sit on. Pods may also allow you to adjust the temperature, play white noise, project visuals on the wall, and you can further add in sensory toys, weighted blankets, vests, plushies etc. As autists can struggle with sensory processing and overload, sensory pods are an ideal way to help manage an overwhelming situation. You can see a video about sensory pods here:

I recently booked into the sensory pod on the Carlow campus of South East Technological University (SETU) to give it a try. The university has two sensory pods in the library that neurodivergent students can avail of for time out, or even just a quiet place to study.

So what was my experience like?

I can highly recommend the sensory pod. While it was a bit awkward climbing into it as a fully grown adult in her thirties, once I was lying down in the pod it was so soothing. The room was kitted out with an interactive screen on the wall where you could avail of streaming services like Netflix to take some chill time out from your studies. There was a mirror on the wall with a panel of dials to adjust the lighting to your liking- blue, green, red, white and even no lights. The college even provided a USB mouse and keyboard that students could avail of if using the pod to study. Lying there on the squishy mat, I could easily have fallen asleep with the sounds of the library dulled around me. You would forget that you were in the middle of a busy college campus on a Friday evening!

It’s great to see a sensory facility like this for neurodivergents in an academic institution, I would love to have had something like this to study in back when I was in university (then again, I was only diagnosed as I was leaving third level education 🙃).

I also had the opportunity to try out the sensory room on campus which I will talk about in my next post.

Hope you enjoyed this post dear Earthlings!

Have a lovely weekend! 🙂

Aoife

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