Supporting staff

The support provided directly to students with Autism Spectrum Conditions through the Wellbeing, Accessability and Student Experience teams are key, but we need also to ensure that staff across the institution are aware of the support provided and understand autism themselves so that they can adapt their own teaching practices and design more inclusive curricula.

An important component of the Exeter Spectrum Programme, therefore, is to develop staff awareness of autism through training and regular discussion. We will:

  • recruit Autism Champions from departments and services across the University who will work together to understand autism and implications for how we can better support students;
  • evaluate training materials on autism provided by the National Autistic Society, identifying particularly those elements of relevance to Higher Education;
  • work with the Autism Champions to train more staff and foster discussions within their own department or service.

Autism Champions

College of Humantities:
James Kelly – English Department
Lucie Riou – Modern Languages and the Foreign Language Centre
Cathy Turner – Drama

College of Engineering, Mathematics & Physical Sciences:
Mark Baldwin – Mathematics
Matt Collison – Computer Science
Andrew Gilbert – Mathematics
Rob Hicken – Physics
Stefan Siegart – Mathematics
Sharon Strawbridge – Physics
Declan Vogt – Camborne School of Mines (Penryn)

Business School:
Claire Lavers – Finance and Accounting

College of Social Sciences & International Studies:
John Heathershaw – Politics
Joel Krueger – Sociology, Philosophy and Anthropology
Chrissy Mangafa
Catriona McKinnon – Politics

College of Life & Environmental Sciences:
Alison Hill – Biosciences
Kelly Moyes – Biosciences
Saffron O’Neill – Geography
Ioanna Kapantai –Psychology
Tobias Stevens – Psychology

College of Medicine & Health:

Kate Ellacott
Pia Leete
Vikki Moye
Asami Oguro-Ando
Anna Price
Andrew Salmon
Sal Stapley
Sarah Bell – Truro
Kath Wilkinson
Sarah Walker

Professional Services: 

Hannah Abrehart – Wellbeing
Rachel Brewer – People Development
Tamsin Kilner – Academic Development
Emily Munoz – E-learning Team
Nicola Nye – Library Academic Liaison
Giorgia Pigato – Academic Development
Charlotte Robson – Widening Participation Coordinator