
As part of the campaign the make Killarney an autism friendly town, the Autism Friendly Killarney Committee is holding its first ever street collection and launching a survey to receive important feedback from members of the public affected by the condition.
The street collection will take place on Saturday, September 14, from 9am to 5pm, in the town centre and other locations such as Lidl and Daly’s SuperValu.
Public support is critically important as it will allow the committee to continue activities such as hosting autism awareness training sessions and providing sensory boxes for businesses and organisations in Killarney.
The committee has also launched a survey aimed at gaining insights and opinions from members of the public affected by autism, whether directly or as family members.

It features five short questions that allow people to share their opinions and ideas on how Killarney can be made more autism friendly. It will be open until Monday, September 30, and is available through scanning the QR code below or online at Autism Friendly Killarney Survey.
“It is important for the committee to have opinions from people with autism and their families in order to make the appropriate improvements in our town,” said Kevin Leahy, Chairman, Killarney Autism Friendly Committee.
“We want to do everything we can to help make Killarney a leader in supporting people with autism so this support and input will help a lot”.
The Autism Friendly Killarney initiative was launched in February 2024 and is being led by a voluntary committee supported by AsIAm, Ireland’s national autism charity.

Picture: Valerie O’Sullivan
As part of the initiative, businesses and organisations, known as ‘champions’, are taking measures to provide an environment that considers the needs of local residents and visitors with autism.
The overall goal is to ensure autistic individuals have full access to goods and services in Killarney and that their lived experience is one of support and inclusion across all aspects of daily life.
For more information on this initiative, to become a champion business or to attend a training session, please visit https://killarney.ie/killarney-chamber-of-
tourism-commerce/killarney-autism-friendly-community/. Alternatively, email autismfriendlykillarney@gmail.com.
Autism is a lifelong, developmental difference which relates to how a person communicates and interacts with others and how they experience the world around them. It is part of the broader neurodiversity family of differences or disabilities which encompasses people with conditions or differences such as ADHD, Dyslexia and Dyspraxia, Epilepsy, Tourette’s Syndrome and Dyscalculia.
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