Westport Autism Friendly Town to officially launch this month
A group working to make Westport a more inclusive place to live, learn and work will be officially launched on Friday, February 28, at 7.45 p.m. at Westport Town Hall Theatre.
Westport Autism Friendly Town, established in March 2024, comprises of autistic people, their families, practitioners, educators and local businesses and organisations.
The group hopes Westport will become the latest Irish town to be officially accredited as Autism Friendly by AsIAm, Ireland’s autism charity, a project that will be a total of three years in duration.
Westport is one of five Autism Friendly Town groups in Mayo alone, with Castlebar, Balla, Ballina, and most recently Belmullet.
The event will also mark the launch of the group’s town plan, a strategic guide for its work for the coming two years.
The town plan was developed following a number of public and online consultations held in June. Members of the local community contributed over 400 suggestions and inputs during this period, all of which have been crucial in shaping the work of Westport Autism Friendly Town for the years to come.
Speaking ahead of the launch, Westport Autism Friendly Town chair Maura Kiely said: “While the group may only be officially launching this month, the enthusiasm, energy and support that we have seen this past year has been both heartening and inspiring.
“Westport is deservedly known as a welcoming town, and what we hope to achieve through the work of this group and engaging with the community is to ensure that autistic people and those with disabilities more generally feel even more included. This is already happening with local sports clubs, businesses and leisure facilities working with us to provide sensory options for their autistic peers.
“It has been wonderful to see, and while we’re pleased to celebrate the milestone of our launch, it does not mark the end of this chapter - our work is only beginning.”
The event, which is open to the public, will be attended by Adam Harris, founder of AsIAm. A relaxed musical performance by local performers Brian Duffy and Ensemble Nezlamni will open proceedings.
The event will also be live-streamed via the Westport Autism Friendly Town social media channels (@westportautismfriendlytown).