 My writings
chronicle how I felt throughout
that period, from the reactions
to my mother’s death, and
the burglary the year after that
which really presaged a long
period of depression and
hopelessness from which I have
since built my life back up again.
When I received my diagnosis I
was at a really low point, and
whilst being relieved I was
simultaneously disappointed in
myself and took on board the
limitations of AS as a disability
rather literally in terms of how
that impacted on the career I
wanted to cut out for myself as a
photographer and journalist.
Building up my qualifications at Hereward College was the best thing
for me, for when I graduated with
distinctions that was a
vindication that my life was
worth something and my creative
talents were not a myth of my own
making.
One thing follows on another and
one cannot get quickly to ones
destination without being in the
right place to start with.
My voluntary work with my mother,
which I had seen as counting for
naught when I went looking for
work in the real world, has been
the basis of my activity in the National Autistic
Society. For when I went to
my first AGM of that organisation
and asked the question about what
was in it for me, and what role
was there for autistic people in
governance I did not realise that
I would answer my own question by
becoming first a councillor and
then Board member with a very
important role to play in moving
the NAS into the next
century.
It was the combination of my
previous experience in the
community sector, and the
connections I had made on the
Internet that allowed me to be
first nominated and then elected.
My academic courses did more for
me too, than gain qualifications,
as they gave me back my
confidence, and allowed me to
participate in a more social
world. Not only that I made with
Paul Smith the Outside In Video, that continues to
sell and has had some impact I
hope on the understanding of our
perspective.
It is true I want to go further
academically, to higher degrees,
but obstacles of finance still
stand in the way.
 When I started the Birmingham
University web based autism
course, I guess I had more than
just the objective of gaining the
qualification, I wanted to prove
that a person on the autistic
spectrum was just as capable of
doing such a course, and more so
of influencing the future of that
course itself, something I have
done, being as “Outside
In” is to be integrated into
the course as well as my having
been asked to write course
materials. A small start on what
I want to take a lot further in
future.
Likewise 2005 has been the year
of Autscape, where I have been
able to make a different kind of
presentation to the usual self-narrating
zoo exhibit kind, and integrate
it with my interests in media and
video. More shall come of this
for I will be producing a video
based on what I said there, and
the text of it is going on to be
a paper at an on line conference.
Further than that the NAS is
slowly responding the fact that
autistic people have had
practically no input into their
international big events, and I
have been asked to chair a
session this September albeit of the self
narrating zoo kind, but I am sure
I can make it more than that
Perhaps the biggest surprise of
this year when so much is
happening has been my election to
the fellowship of the RSA.
This was a complete surprise when
I received an invitation to
submit myself for election. I
though to myself am I really the
calibre of person who has made a
sufficient impact either in the
community or world of enterprise
to bear those letters after my
name?
Well I guess the conclusion must
be that I am, from my busy period
in a variety of organisations in
Coventry and then after that in RADAR and now the NAS.
Seven times seven, and more to
come I hope, so that I can show
that there is more to life than
autism alone and more to autism
than no life.
I got where I am because I worked
at it, but I did not get here by
abandoning my responsibilities to
my mission, to create a better
world for all people
disadvantaged by what the world
labels as disability.
But it does not end
there, I was to remain at
Hereward for another year before
moving on to Birmingham
University for further studies.
It is at that time I abandoned
updates to this part of my site
in favour of keeping a blog.
However it does not finish here,
there will be more as the roller
coaster of life goes on.
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