BEST DISABILITY AMBASSADOR FINALIST - Sports for Autism

Your Name: Stacey McNally

Your Organisation/Company: Sports for Autism

Your favourite thing about West Belfast: The sense of community

Your First Job: Customer service at SSE arena

What it taught you? Team work, how to manage stressful situations and great customer service

What do you think are the key ingredients needed to make a person or organisation the Best of the West? Someone who loves the job they are doing, who are making a difference and positive impact on the community.

I set up sports for autism 8 years ago after working as a classroom assistant in a mainstream school as I realised the children with ASD had no social/sport activities after school and I wanted to create a space where they could go, be themselves with people alike and have fun all whilst developing social communication skills, balance, hand eye coordination, motor skills and overall health and fitness.

After a few weeks I had to leave my job and focus on sports for autism full time we began in the back room of a gym, moved to Springfield road where we had two 600 square ft rooms as we needed more space and this past weekend we just opened our new 3000 square foot facility in Kennedy way!

We have children from the community, children travelling from all parts of the country for their class each week and we also work with local ASD charities in the community and travel to Downpatrick once per week to bring our classes to Downpatrick Autism Support charity. It is the most amazing job in the world, seeing those little faces light up each week when they see their class friends and seeing the improvements they make no matter how small is just so rewarding.

We also cannot forget how sports for autism also gives support to the parents who also don’t have very much of it from other aspects, they get to chat each week, learn tips of one another and most importantly no that they’re not alone.