We are pleased to announce the release of three guides titled "Autism&University – Best Practices." These guides are the result of a voluntary translation initiative of the original "Autism&Uni – Best Practice Guides" from English, undertaken by the network "Autism-Friendly University Environments for People with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)." The University of Thessaly is a founding member of this network, represented by the Rector, Professor Charalambos Billinis.
The guides are a continuation of the "Autism&Uni – Best Practice Guides" project, with Professor Marc Fabri from Leeds Beckett University in the UK as the Principal Investigator. The guides have been translated not only into Greek but also into Dutch, Finnish, Polish, German, Spanish, Portuguese, and French.
The first guide is directed at the administration of university institutions, the second guide is aimed at the teaching staff of universities, and the third guide is for professionals supporting autistic students within and outside the university.
In Greece, all students, including those on the autism spectrum, can participate in the national exams for admission to Higher Educational Institutions. In November 2022, a new law (FEK B 6069/28-11-2022) was introduced, allowing students on the autism spectrum with a disability of at least 67% to be admitted to Higher Educational Institutions based on their preference without participating in the national exams. They can be included in the special category of students with serious illnesses, with a 5% quota above the set number of admissions.
This new law created the need for the development of materials in Greek to inform academic and administrative staff, students, and their parents about autism and the needs of individuals on the autism spectrum, providing guidelines on how they can be better supported at the university. The "Autism&University – Best Practices" guides are suitable for this purpose, as they were initially developed based on research and evidence-based practices. Additionally, the guides address important issues in clear, concise, and simple language, making the content easily understandable by both academic and administrative staff as well as students.
The translation and scientific editing of the "Autism&Uni – Best Practice Guides" into Greek ("Autism&University – Best Practices") was carried out by the founding members of the network "Autism-Friendly University Environments for People with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)." Specifically, the contributors were:
- University of Thessaly: Despina Papoudi
- University of Macedonia: Christina Syriopoulou
- Technical University of Crete: Malamatenia Zacharioudaki and Evangelia Krasadaki
- Harokopio University: Katerina Antonopoulou and Aglaia Stamboltzi
- Hellenic Asperger Syndrome Association: Maria Iliopoulou
Financial support for the graphic design and editorial work was provided by Professor Marc Fabri (Leeds Beckett University), to whom we owe our gratitude for his time and continuous support.
Release announcement of the guides in Greek (24.09.2024): https://www.autism-uni.org/greek-version-of-autismuni-best-practice-guides-published/
You can download the Guides here.
