THE Munster Technological University, Kerry Campus, hosted an awareness raising presentation about autism and the use of assistance dogs last week.

This interactive presentation was given by Autism Assistance Dogs Ireland (AADI), a national charity dedicated to providing highly-specialised assistance dogs to children with autism. AADI was delighted to attend the college in what was one in a series of university visits, as part of its “Fáilte Campaign”.

The presentation focused on preparing students for their inevitable encounters with assistance dogs during their careers in hospitality, retail and other sectors.

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While Autism Assistance Dogs have legal rights and responsibilities in Ireland, many people do not know what the rules are surrounding assistance dogs in public.

Jacob Harmon, Director of Advancement at Autism Assistance Dogs Ireland, spoke alongside Niall D. O’Halloran, Purchasing Manager at Rochestown Park Hotel in Cork, on how professionals in the hospitality and retail industries can help make everyone’s experiences more welcoming with a thorough understanding of how to properly support families with assistance dogs.

Jacob and Niall were joined by Ambassador Dog Willis, and Assistance Dog in Training Marvin to raise awareness about this important issue.

Niall D. O’Halloran said; “It became apparent to me that our hospitality and retail colleagues did not know how to modify their behaviour around families with autism.” And so, he partnered with AADI to help spark that change.

“We’re delighted to work with MTU and other universities across the country to start effecting change on behalf of families with an Autism Assistance Dog, and by extension, any person who relies on a service dog,” said Jacob R. Harmon.

“It takes two years and costs €25,000 to train an Assistance Dog, but our work doesn’t stop there. We need to educate around not only access for families with a service dog, but also around how people can make it more possible for those families to fully engage with their communities.”

In celebration of April as Autism Awareness Month AADI partnered with eight (8) universities around the country to increase awareness and understanding among students of all disciplines.

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