Waterford celebrates becoming Ireland's first Autism Friendly City

Waterford made history earlier this year becoming the first-ever city in Ireland to achieve Autism Friendly status.

Friends, allies, members and supporters of the autistic community gathered at the Granville Hotel last week for a celebration dinner to officially mark the achievement.

Over one hundred people attended from various local groups, organisations and businesses, all of whom contributed to Waterford receiving the award. 

Mayor of Waterford City and County, Cllr Jason Murphy and Minister Mary Butler were also in attendance.

Adam Harris, CEO of asiam, a National Autism charity spoke at the event, highlighting the hard work of the Autism Friendly Waterford committee over the last three years and the incredible support they got from the community. 

Mr. Harris said: "Waterford has paved the way for other cities to follow and it is fitting that Ireland’s oldest city is showing others how to do it."

Tony O’Neill, Secretary of Autism Friendly Waterford and MC for the night thanked all the organisations and businesses who had undergone training and implemented accommodations for autistic people. 

He emphasized, however, that this was only the beginning.

"We are only just starting" he said, "and we couldn’t have done it without you. We look forward to your ongoing support as we continue our journey to make Waterford a truly inclusive and supportive place for the Autistic community."

In order to attain full Autism Friendly status, Autism Friendly Waterford delivered autism-friendly training to more than 60 businesses and organizations.

The committee has also worked on various initiatives with other groups and organisations who support the autistic community including 50 Shades of Exceptional, the National Learning Centre, ASD Dungarvan and Waterford Disability Network, all of whom were represented at the celebration last week.

A highlight of the evening was DJ Seán O'Neill, a young autistic adult who had everyone on the dance floor!