Making research more accessible with Autism@Manchester
29 Oct 2026
Colleagues shape new toolkit designed to make research clearer, more accessible and shaped by lived experience
The new Autism@Manchester Research Involvement Toolkit has been designed primarily for autistic people, but could also be useful for other neurodivergent people, people with mental health conditions and others who may face barriers to getting involved in research.
The resource introduces different ways of engaging with research, whether as a participant, a patient and public involvement contributor, or by helping to shape research through co-production. It’s free for everybody, including people outside of the university, and includes an extensive glossary to help people navigate research terminology, including language relating to neurodiversity.
A place where you matter
Dr Erin Beeston, Autism@Manchester Co-producer and Research Associate IMPOWER Project:
"The idea for this toolkit originally came from members of the autistic community during the Building Bridges project (Building Bridges | Autism@Manchester | University of Manchester). I joined Autism@Manchester in 2024 to work on this, and the wider 'Marginalisation multiplied: Improving autistic health inequalities with collaborative interdisciplinary research and knowledge transfer through Autism@Manchester' UMRI-funded project. I wished to contribute as I have lived-experience of autism and raising autistic children, and I feel very strongly about addressing health inequity for our community."
Shaped by lived experience
As Erin shared, people with lived experience helped develop this resource. Members of the Autism@Manchester expert by experience group and PRIMER PPIE group contributed to its development, and it was also evaluated with autistic people from a range of backgrounds and non-autistic people experiencing mild to moderate mental health conditions, with their feedback used to improve the resource.
The project was funded by our University through UMRI and the NIHR Three Research Schools Mental Health Programme, via the School for Primary Care Research (SPCR). The team also collaborated with Dr Alice Dunning at the University of Sheffield, who provided perspectives on mental health research.
This supports our Manchester 2035 strategy leap to be the partner of choice for those who share our commitment to excellence and turning knowledge into impact for the public good, and helps build our university as a place where everybody matters and belongs.