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Research Symposium Seeks to Highlight Participatory Autism Research
Last month Bishop Grosseteste University’s Lincolnshire Open Research and Innovation Centre (LORIC) Autism Ideas Café joined the Participatory Autism Research Collective (PARC) to hold a Research Symposium event to discuss a collection of projects aimed at widening society's understanding of Autism. The virtual event saw four participatory autism researchers showcase their projects via short presentations and discussions with other researchers in front of an audience of over 70 attendees comprised of individuals, allies, professionals, and academics from around the world (many of whom were autistic). Topics and projects discussed included: “The Precariat” is a good name for a band: Autism, employment and the creative industries – Examining the experiences of autistic individuals as they transition from university into employment within the creative industries.Parents’ stories involving autism diagnosis for their child – Exploring the advantages and disadvantages of having an autism “diagnosis”.Autistic Teachers – The lived experiences of autistic professionals as they enter, manage, stay in, or exit the professionExploring classroom literature from an autistic viewpoint – How lenses of perception can impact on emotional interaction with a text. Following the presentations, attendees had the opportunity to discuss the research, network and share ideas. This has already led to some interesting collaborations with researchers from all over the UK and overseas,with a range of presentations already lined up for future events. Further details will be released in due course, but to register interest for these events, please visit the LORIC events page. Dr Clare (Kate) Lawrence (Senior Lecturer in Teacher Development at BGU, East Midlands Convener for the Participatory Autism Research Collective(PARC) and L.C.C. Autism Champion) shared her excitement at the potential impact of the event: “I am very excited by our first event as part of the Participatory Autism Research Collective (PARC). This symposium showcased how BGU is embedding participatory autism research into our work through interesting and innovative projects that will further enrich and widen understanding of autism. It was a pleasure to listen in to these exciting research projects and on the discussions about them that took place between the participants. This is participatory autism research both in that the researchers are members of the autistic community and in that those researchers are exploring how best to capture the voices of their autistic community participants. There is real richness here, and I feel deeply privileged to be a part of this work.” Autism Ideas Café founder, Kay Purle, echoed Dr Lawrence's excitement, and discussed her hopes for future events: “It was very exciting to partner with the Participatory Autism Research Collective to deliver this event and it provided an exciting addition to the calendar of Autism Ideas Café events, which are based on a World Café Model of ideas sharing and collaboration. It was great to see such a positive response to the event in terms of sign up and of feedback so far, and it is hoped that we will be able to run further joined up events in the future”. Recordings of the event are available to view on the Participatory Autism Research Collective website: View recordings This event was funded by the Research England Strategic Priorities Fund. -
My tips for balancing work, university, and life for new students
By Ebony-Jay Thurland -
Aspirations, wellbeing and depression explored by Psychology students at national research conference
Three third year Psychology students from Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) presented their dissertations at the national Conference of the British Society for the Study of Individual Differences (BSPID) last week. Covering topics including postnatal depression, adult stress and life goals, Eniko Wagner, Tyler Cameron and Lauren Paul, showcased their work in front of a large audience of peers, researchers and academics. -
Celebrating Black History Month at BGU
Black History Month at BGU Throughout Black History Month, October 2024, BGU will host a variety of events that celebrate the local, national, and global contributions of Black People to various areas. Storytelling, film night, lectures, and a fashion show are among these events. As per the best tradition of public engagement, these sessions are intended to educate, entertain, and challenge existing ideas and knowledge. Full Schedule of Events Scroll down to check out this years events and to reserve your tickets! Dig Deep, Look Closer Think Bigger. -
Autism Ideas Cafe Update - May 2021
An update on the latest Autism Ideas Cafe event held 19th May 2021 -
Autism Ideas Café Update January 2021
The first Autism Ideas Café event of 2021 welcomed new faces and led to some lively on-line discussions. Each event held so far has been unique, with a different mix of attendees made up of academics, professionals, students, members of the autistic community and their allies. What makes each event special is the views, knowledge and experience that each attendee brings, as well as the diversity of topics of discussion. The January session included musings on the need for researchers to communicate their research findings so that they are relevant, easily accessible, and relatable to real life situations, as well as discussions around a number of autism related issues. Employment: How can employers be more inclusive? How can their awareness of autism be raised? The importance of making workplace adjustments. Understanding what employers can gain from having a neuro-diverse workforce. How can research be used to support the increased employment of autistic individuals? Diagnosis: How can adults on the spectrum get a diagnosis? Should they pursue one? What difference does it make? Do the diagnosis rates in boys and girls actually reflect the incidence of autism? Are girls on the spectrum treated differently? Do they get diagnosed with other issues instead? The experience of girls and women on the spectrum: How do autistic women cope with the hormonal and physical changes of puberty and menopause? Are girls more likely to mask their autism? Does this manifest in mental health issues such as depression or eating disorders? Are girls as likely as boys to have a “special” interest? Are these seen as hobbies? Autism and parenting: Being an autistic parent. How does late diagnosis of parents affect children? If a parent gets an adult diagnosis does that affect the child? Do autistic parents parent differently? How can parents empower their autistic children? How can parents meet the sensory needs of their children? Many of these themes will be explored in the March Autism Ideas Cafe event, which will be in the format of a research symposium, including presentations of their current research by PhD and Master's students from BGU. Details TBC. -
Ideas Café – Autism
On 5th April, we held an ideas cafe surrounding the topic of autism. Attendees came from a diverse range of health, social care and academic backgrounds. A range of ideas were highlighted for discussion, in relation to autism that the attendees felt would be valuable to discuss. Ideas that were put forward included: Managing parents’ expectations around obtaining a diagnosis for their childHow to keep autistic children in mainstream schoolSpecial needs training for all trainee teachersTransition for a child into adult servicesTraining for educational staff – increasing training and confidence levels of staff to better manage children with autismHow do we access school staff in order to train them?Can technology be used to link up all of these different areas?Mapping the services available for different age groups. The group consensus was that a mapping exercise would be useful to visualise what services are currently available and who they are aimed at. This led to an interactive session of plotting out services and gaps in service for different age ranges: Early YearsPrimary School AgeSecondary School AgePost 16/Teenagers/Young adultsAdultsThe Elderly Where gaps were identified, the group considered what was being done, or what could be done to address the shortcomings. Once plotted, services were categorised according to whether they could be accessed through universal services or self-referral, or whether they required a referral to be made via a professional. A follow-up event to further map out out the autism landscape of Lincolnshire, and to discuss and collaborate on other themes relevant to autism has been planned at LORIC on Friday 7th June 10am-12pm. This event is open to anyone with a personal or professional interest in autism and places can be booked via the LORIC Eventbrite page. -
BG Futures Support for autistic students at BGU
The BG Futures: Careers, Employability and Enterprise team are here to support you throughout your time at BGU and beyond to make informed, supported, and successful transitions into work, further study, self-employment, or any other route you wish to progress onto after finishing your studies. We understand that all autistic people are individuals with unique support requirements, that’s why we provide 1:1 career information, advice and guidance bespoke to your needs. This could be anything from support with applying for jobs, exploring your skills and potential areas for development, or routes into possible careers. We can also support you with conversations such as disclosing your autism to employers and provide you with a safe and impartial environment to consider your options. If you’d like to book a 1:1 careers or enterprise appointment one of our advisors, or if you’d like to work with us to create a programme of support for you, you can: Visit this link and log in with your student details.You can also book via the BG Futures area on the student portal: just click the purple ‘BGFutures’ tile, then the ‘BGFutures Online’ tile, you will be auto-logged in to our booking system where you can select an appointment at a time and a format that works for you.You can call us on 01522 583900Or you can reach us via email at bgfutures@bishopg.ac.uk -
Crafting the future unwritten: Winners announced in short story competition
‘Water is Thicker than Blood’ by Sophie Harrison as been awarded first place in the Bishop Grosseteste University English Department 'The Future Unwritten' short story competition. Designed to bring together GCSE and A-level students with a passion for creative writing, and inspired by one of our undergraduate modules, the competition tasked entrants with crafting a short story that speculated about the future. Submissions included imagining of new realities and new identities, adaptions and transformations of our current world and covered a wide range of genres including dystopian fiction, science fiction, fantasy and horror. Speaking as they choose the winners, the judging panel, made up of lecturers from BGU's Department of English, recognized by The Sunday Times and The Guardian as among the top thirty in the UK, praised the high quality and diverse variety of entrants: "Thank you to the many who were able to enter their short stories. We were delighted to receive such an engaging range of submissions for the inaugural short story competition and it is very encouraging to witness the creative passion of these young people. We look forward to building on this success to promote the talent of young writers, starting with a new competition in 2022." -
Autism Ideas Café Update September 2021
The September session of the Autism Ideas Café focused on three topics of conversation: The new National Strategy for autistic children, young people and adults in England. This provided an opportunity to explore and discuss the new strategy, which was launched in July 2021, and will be in place until 2026. The strategy document for 2021-2016 and implementation plan for 2021-2022 can be found here. What autistic adults wish their parents had known - Supporting neurotypical parents to understand the needs of their autistic children. Sharing autistic people’s experiences of growing up and discussing how parents can meet the individual needs of all children, including those who are autistic. Developing an Autism-friendly campus. Showcasing the work done at BGU regarding support for the university’s Autistic community in the form of ARCH (Autism Resources and Community Hub) and gathering feedback on this, including the webpages, which can be found here. Autism Research Symposium Update: Work is underway to finalise the programme for the second Participatory Autism Research Symposium which will be run in collaboration between Bishop Grosseteste University and the Participatory Autism Research Collective. This will be held online on Wednesday 13th October. Register Here.
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