News: World Autism Awareness Day 2023
Sunday 2nd April marks World Autism Awareness Day which aims to educate those unaware of autism and highlight how to help make the world friendlier to those who are affected by it. At Nottingham College, we are proud of our inclusive environment where all learners and staff are supported to reach their full potential.
Former Nottingham College student Ishmael shares his journey from Entry Level 2 student to University Graduate of the year for Outstanding Achievement!
Ishmael was crowned our Graduate of the Year for Outstanding Achievement in 2022 and has been a student with us for over nine years, starting on an Entry 2 course and working his way up to a Foundation Degree. We are incredibly proud of Ishmael and we caught up with him at graduation. He told us how his tutors have inspired him to become a teacher himself so he can help others with autism.
I want to become a teacher to help those with autism. I am autistic myself and want to use my experiences to help others.
— 2022 Graduate of the Year for Outstanding Achievement — Ishmael Hussain.
Student support
Our award-winning wellbeing programmes and student support combined with industry-standard facilities and expert tutors mean our learners are in good hands with us and ready to take their next steps towards their future.
Margaret Lane, Head of Additional Learning Support, said:
“Autism is complex, and the spectrum is vast. It’s not a one-size-fits-all; it’s our job to identify the needs of our individual learners and to put in place the appropriate support for them.
“We work closely with our students and their parents to ensure they have the best experience at College and reach their full potential to go on to adulthood.”
Margaret added:
“We would encourage prospective students to let us know early on if they have a support need. It won’t affect your application and it means we can organise the best support for you, right from the get-go.
Supported Open Evenings
In 2022 we introduced supported open evenings. These events ran alongside our main open evenings to provide those who may benefit from additional support, including a quieter experience away from crowds to tour our campuses and facilities, a dedicated base room and the on-hand support of our Additional Learning Support Team. The team ensured attendees and their parents and carers received the information, advice and guidance they needed about the support we offer from pre-application all the way through to enrolment and becoming a student with us.
The events were a huge success, and we can’t wait to run them again later in 2023.
Our supported open evenings were a huge success, and we learnt a lot from the pilot. The plan going forward is to roll these out more widely and make them even more learner-centred, so that we can offer a more personal experience for prospective students and their parents.
— Margaret Lane, Head of Additional Learning Support.
Looking to enhance your knowledge and understanding? Free online courses available!
If you’re looking to enhance your knowledge and grow your understanding, we can help with a free* online course. By studying our Working with Individuals with Learning Disabilities distance learning course, you will cover a range of topics, including introductory awareness of autistic spectrum conditions, safeguarding and understanding the context of supporting individuals with learning disabilities.
Published on:
- 30th March 2023 (2:00 PM)
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