Widening Access To Higher Education For Students On The Autism Spectrum - The European Autism&Uni Project

Autism&Uni is a European-funded initiative with partners in five countries (UK, Finland, Poland, Netherlands and Spain). Our aim is to support greater numbers of young adults on the autism spectrum to gain access to Higher Education (HE) and to navigate the transition from School successfully. This paper summarises the project rationale, the research undertaken and its methodology, and finally the project outcomes. The project adopted a two-pronged approach to widening access for autistics students in higher education by a) initiating change in the higher education sector through sharing best practice, and b) equipping young autistic people with the information and strategies they require to overcome the challenges they face, in the form of an online toolkit that can be freely adopted and adapted by any European university. We have involved autistic students at every stage of the project, surveying their needs and aspirations, and seeking feedback on content and design solutions. Their expressed needs and preferences have shaped the project's end products.