To mark Autism Awareness Month this April, Jane Dashwood, Library Accessibility Officer, blogs about her experience of supporting autistic students at the University. 

My role

As Accessibility Officer, I’m focused on making the Library as accessible as possible for our students. Simply put, this means ensuring all of our disabled students and students with learning differences can get the most out of their time in the Library. My goal is to leave them feeling considered and supported, knowing that the Library is a place for them.

A big part of my role is focused on supporting our autistic community. This might look like setting up 1-2-1 inductions with autistic students, who’d like to make use of the Library but want to make sure it reflects and respects their needs. My 13-year-old daughter is autistic, so listening to lived experience and providing facilities that proactively keep neurodivergent people in mind is really important to me.

Accessible study

We now have five accessible study roomsLink opens in a new window for students, which can be booked in advance. They all include assistive software, such as Audio Notetaker, and height-adjustable desks. Some of our autistic students like to make use of the rooms that include soothing sensory extras: LED lights, fidget toys, a bubble tube (pictured), a rocking chair, and our star-constellation projector. We also offer weighted neck wraps, which are designed to relax users and engage their parasympathetic nervous system, keeping them in a more rested state. 

Listening and acting 

A big part of my role is listening to students and taking on their feedback. For example, I was advised that the fire alarm tests in the Library can be really stressful for autistic students to deal with. The sound of a fire alarm can be irritating for many of us, but for some autistic people it can cause sensory overwhelm, leaving them mentally overloaded or even in physical pain. As a result, we provide ear defenders and ear plugs for our Library users.