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Embracing Authenticity in Academic Presentations
The author reflects on speaking at various queer and autistic conferences, emphasizing the challenges of conforming to normative presentation styles. They found comfort in familiar environments and shared experiences with attendees. Despite difficulties, they aimed for a conversational approach, valuing personal storytelling and community engagement over traditional presentation norms.
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UK university ethics applications – a neurodivergent nightmare?
Policies within UK universities outline that research undertaken therein requires ethical review, however the process of obtaining favourable opinion can be inaccessible to Autistic ADHD students due to ableism within Higher Education. I wanted to know whether I was the only Autistic and ADHD / Attention Hyperactive person who really struggled with my degree ethics…
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Activism and academia – where can we make the most difference?
I had a really enlightening conversation with two other Autistic researchers a few days ago. Although the conversation was around autoethnography (in which the stories of the researchers is the data collected). The conversation also reminded me that research doesn’t have to be written, quiet, or clean. It can be creative, loud, and messy. Research…
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The pain and the anguish of being an Autistic autism researcher
Reading through autism research as an Autistic student or researcher can be emotional and traumatic, especially when so many of us are encouraged to use research that doesn’t align with our lived experiences. Using the American Psychological Association’s framing of autistic embodiment, in particular, does not fit with how I know Autistic experience to be.…
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Pushing the boulder up the hill: How Autistic advocates and academics are changing ‘autism’ research
Academia is being dragged up by autistic people not just within academia but also within social media. There are a growing number of Autistic led organisations which are involved in policy and educating Autistic and non-Autistic people, including Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN), NeuroClastic and Aucademy. Blog and article writing, activism and advocacy is just…
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Are Autistic people supported at University?
The undue pressure to meet our own accessibility needs in education is astounding. We have to constantly rely on our own advocacy, of that of our loved ones to be taken seriously. And it doesn’t get any easier in further education. University is filled with so many difficult social interactions, overwhelming spaces, inconsistent timetables and…