The person
The expert on their own experience. We listen to how they communicate, whether that is speech, writing, AAC, gesture or another way of showing what helps and what doesn’t.
AutismAndMe.ie Consultancy for Universal Design is Ireland's specialist advisory firm at the intersection of autism-inclusive practice and universal design excellence. We exist to close the gap between policy ambition and lived reality — helping public bodies, private enterprises, and civic institutions build spaces, services, and digital environments that work for every person, every time.
Ireland is at a pivotal moment. The Autism Innovation Strategy (2024) sets 83 cross-government actions to improve autistic people's access to public services and community life . Dublin City Council has committed to becoming the world's first Autism-Friendly Capital City following the example of Waterford, Irelands oldest and first autism friendly city. The European Accessibility Act (EAA) and its harmonised standard EN 301 549 impose binding digital accessibility obligations on public and private sector organisations alike . Yet the infrastructure, skills, and advisory capacity to deliver on these commitments remain underdeveloped.
AutismAndMe.ie fills this gap. We combine deep expertise in autism-affirming design, universal design methodology, Irish regulatory compliance, and cross-sector service transformation. Our work is grounded in evidence — drawing on frameworks such as the ASPECTSS Design Index , the SPELL Framework , PAS 6463: Design for the Mind , and the Centre for Excellence in Universal Design (CEUD) guidelines — and tailored to the specific cultural, policy, and procurement context of Ireland.
Our services span three integrated pillars: Strategic Advisory and Policy Alignment, Experience Design and Transformation, and Delivery, Evaluation, and Change Management. We serve public authorities, healthcare providers, educational institutions, transport operators, local governments, and private enterprises seeking to lead on inclusion.
The return on investment is clear: organisations that embed universal design from the outset reduce costly retrofits, expand their addressable user base, meet legal obligations proactively, and build reputations as genuine leaders in equity and inclusion.
Autistic people, and the families and carers who know them best, are the experts. Everything we do begins by listening to them.
Not where you want them to be. Where they are, in the here and now.
That is where every plan should begin.We see the value of listening to the person with autism and to their family and carers. Professional knowledge matters, but it works best when it supports their voice and their choices.
The expert on their own experience. We listen to how they communicate, whether that is speech, writing, AAC, gesture or another way of showing what helps and what doesn’t.
They know the person across years, places and moods. Their knowledge fills in what a single meeting never could.
Training and evidence bring real value when they serve the person, not when they replace what the person and family tell us.
“Here is where you should be. Let’s get you there.”
“Tell us where you are today. We’ll start from there.”
Autism & Me is a team of professionals from across Ireland who work in education, industry, health, finance, community services and public-sector roles. Many of us are neurodivergent, and many are parents, carers and long-standing advocates.
What connects us is a shared commitment to building an Ireland where autistic people can access school, work, services and community life with dignity, clarity and ease.
We deliver neurodiversity-affirming training, consultancy and practical tools that support Ireland’s Autism Innovation Strategy, across home, school, workplace and community settings.
Neurodiversity-affirming training for schools, public services and organisations.
We look at your setting with you and agree what to change, starting with the people in it.
Resources you can use straight away, including iLEARN, our tailored learning approach.
Our focus is practical. We do not stay in theory. We focus on what can be applied in real situations.
Across Ireland, systems are often overstretched. Supports are not always designed for the level of need now present, leaving individuals and families navigating environments that do not fully support them.
Autism & Me responds with structured, evidence-informed approaches that:
iLEARN MY WAY starts from the same place as everything we do: the person as they are, here and now. We meet, we listen, we review and we tailor.
It is not only for school. It applies in every sector, because we all learn and respond to the environments we find ourselves in.
Small changes can make profound differences to a person with autism, if, and only if, they are heard.
You don’t need to change everything at once. We help you listen, then act, one small step at a time.
Hear from the person, in the way they communicate, and from the family and carers who know them.
Look at the setting as it is today: what works, what is hard and what the person notices.
Choose one small, realistic change together, with the person’s say at the centre.
Put it in place, then ask the person how it is going, not just the adults around them.
Keep what helps, adjust what doesn’t, and choose the next small change.
We go at the person’s pace, not the system’s.
Tell us where you are now, at home, in school, at work or in your service, and we will help you find the first step.
Thank you for visiting autismandme.ie. Let us know where you’re connecting from.