I am a Leaving Certificate student in an extremely mainstream secondary school, where the likes of disability and accommodations would be either taboo, unheard of, or kept very hush-hush. It took me a long time to accept that I needed support, and even longer to approach my school about it. It was hard. Sometimes, I genuinely felt like I was fighting a losing battle. Being autistic means that I am nothing if not determined when it comes to achieving something which I am passionate about. If it weren’t for the help of a truly incredible support team (consisting of my year head, form tutor, the ..read more

Every year we run a survey to understand more about how we are doing, what you need from us as an organisation, and hear what you have to say. Whether you are heavily involved with spunout or if you have just seen us once or twice, we really want to hear from you. The survey will only take 5-10 minutes of your time. We are also offering the chance to win your choice of a pair of Airpods, a pair of Samsung Galaxy Buds, or a €150 One4All voucher. Simply complete the survey and leave your contact details when requested. spunout Reader’s Survey The post Take our Reader’s Survey appeared first on ..read more

Back in 2019 while I was still in primary school, I couldn’t wait to start secondary school. I would be starting in a secondary school where I wasn’t going to know a lot of people. I saw this as an opportunity for a new me, a fresh start and maybe even a chance to break out of the “goody two shoes” mould years of bullying had placed upon me. Maybe even be cool and popular for once. Navigating the transition from primary to secondary school I remember going to the open day of my current secondary school in sixth class. It never would have crossed my mind that a year into the future I would be s ..read more

We’ve all seen it. Whether first hand or vicariously through a film or TV show, we’ve all been there – the dreaded ‘Lunchbox Moment’. Sure, the experience might not have been as dramatic as, for example, Eddie Huang’s in the American programme Fresh Off The Boat – where an ignorant bully calls Eddie’s lovingly-made Chinese lunch “gross”, saying it “smells” and looks like worms – but most of us, especially those with first-hand experience, can recall some rendition of the event. My lunchbox moment For me, it was in primary school, fifth class to be exact. I had just moved to a new school and su ..read more

When people think of ‘coming out’, they may think of a person they know who is part of the LGBTQAI+ community sharing their sexuality, and the challenges that doing so poses for today’s generation. In my own experience as someone with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), I feel coming out as neurodivergent can raise similar challenges. Autism and the challenges of social acceptance For me, if someone were to mention the struggles of ‘coming out’ from the LGBTQ+ perspective I feel I can understand part of the struggles. As someone with ASD, I feel as though I can understand the issues that are fa ..read more

I’ve had to be independent and strong since I was born. My parents always depended on me for things that everyone else would see as simple tasks. From the time I was nine years old, I set up my parents’ phones, completed their Garda vetting forms, booked appointments, and more. The unknowns of immigrating and assimilating When you come to a new country, have three kids and a new job you have to adapt to your new environment. You don’t know anyone so it’s difficult to know how to ask for help or even who to ask for help. It’s hard to know what to do with all of these new resources that you have ..read more

My name is Fatima Elzahra Ismail. I’m 17 years old and I have been living in Ireland for six years. I can’t say that I have been subjected to “old-fashioned” racism in Ireland, however, I can say that I have experienced microaggressions. Honestly, I think Irish people are some of the nicest individuals I’ve met, but implicit bias is present within every individual which can lead to various forms of microaggressions. Understanding microaggressions Microaggression is a term that can be used to describe a statement, action, or incident regarded as an instance of indirect, subtle, or unintentional ..read more

Moving schools is nerve-wracking enough as it is, but moving continents is a whole different ball game. Migrating to Ireland in 2019 as a fourteen-year-old came with anxieties, joys, lessons and struggles. Culture shock and initial challenges Culture shock is defined as a feeling of disorientation experienced by someone when they are suddenly subjected to an unfamiliar culture, way of life, or set of attitudes. This definition speaks to my experience when I first moved to Ireland as it was the first time I was introduced to Irish culture. Along with this disorientation came an overwhelming app ..read more

The Department of Social Protection and Minister Josepha Madigan recently proposed a green paper on how social welfare benefits such as disability and invalidity benefits can be paid out in future. A Green Paper is a Government proposal on how to improve something or solve a problem. This paper aims to highlight a new way that disability payments could be paid. While this is only a proposal, it sets out one possible way these payments could occur in future. What are the proposed changes to disability allowance? The proposed changes include splitting the payment of the disability allowance into ..read more

Vaping has risen sharply in popularity over the last few years, particularly with young people. Some people who vape may do so as a replacement for smoking, some both vape and smoke cigarettes, while others who vape have never smoked before. Here, we have created a series on vaping and how it affects your health, the environment and more, so that you can make informed decisions about vaping. People are entitled to make their own decisions about their health, and the best way to be equipped to do that is by having factual, non-judgmental information to aid those decisions. There are also resour ..read more