Conference Chairs

Barrington hosts regular livestreams on Twitch @KagaiGames and launched the Twitter hashtag #KagaiKindness to encourage sharing of positive interactions within the gaming community.

He has spoken publicly about the importance of seeing Black autistic people represented in pop culture, and has shared his insight about the difficulties of growing up without a diagnosis.

Following his diagnosis aged 30, Barrington was better able to understand his mental health journey and the difficulties he faced in social situations as a young person. It became clear to him why he enjoyed structured social interactions such as playing games with clearly defined rules.

Playing Dungeons & Dragons had enabled him to feel more at ease in social situations, building confidence and developing friendships around a shared interest. Barrington launched Kagai Games and his Twitch stream with the intention of extending these benefits to other autistic people.

He leads our professional support services, advice and guidance, communications, policy and fundraising. In his spare time, he enjoys watching sport (particularly Liverpool FC), reading crime novels and bingeing on old TV dramas.

LEANS introduces mainstream primary school pupils aged 8-11 to the concept of neurodiversity, helping them explore how it impacts school experiences, such as by asking ‘What does “neurodiversity” mean, and what does it have to do with me and my classroom?’

Alyssa has a multidisciplinary background in psychology, computing, education and design. Her research interests are focused on neurodiversity in education, participatory design with children and teachers, technologies for autistic users, cognitive psychology and research ethics.

In 2022, she led the launch of the free LEANS resource pack for primary schools and its associated teacher training programme, and also contributed to the book Educational psychology perspectives on supporting young autistic people (Jessica Kingsley Press).

Hannah has a particular interest in the effects of autistic masking on mental health and ways of improving the mental health outcomes of autistic people.

After being diagnosed herself in 2013, she has also been a keen advocate and speaker on the topic of adult autism diagnoses. Hannah has recently written a book on the topic of masking in autism, using her own and others’ lived experiences, entitled Taking off the Mask.

www.hannahbelcher.com
@DrHannahBelcher

In addition to her academic work, she works for Berkshire-based charities Parenting Special Children and The Charlie Waller Trust, both of which are committed to enhancing the health and wellbeing of autistic children and their families.

In a previous role, he was the Dementia Programme Lead and statutory Autism Lead for the bi-borough councils (Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea) in London, and co-chaired the disability staff network. As an Expert by Experience, outside of his paid role, Andrew is also an NHSE Peer Leader and Public Champion for Personalised Care and Social Prescribing in London.

Andrew trains on autism – with a particular interest in autism without a co-occurring learning disability – and adapting practice in mental health settings.

Rachel has a Master’s degree in autism studies and recently began a PhD in intellectual and developmental disabilities. Rachel has an academic interest in autistic communication, specifically social communication, and is developing the autistic language hypothesis, which views autistic communication as different and functional, not disordered neurotypical (non-autistic) communication.

PurpleElla’s current focus is making lifestyle content for their community of neurodiverse and disabled people to provide practical, relevant and relatable information. They also act as a consultant to those who support an increasingly diverse community, and have worked with the NHS, the National Autistic Society, Dogs For Autism and Clinical Partners.

Warda’s approach is guided by her own experiences as a neurodivergent Black woman and diverges from the traditional medical model of speech and language therapy by centering language as an emancipatory tool that resists the ideology of ‘standard language’. Warda’s work aims to centre Black Joy.

Wenn is British but lives in Australia and is a member of the Australian Psychological Society, Australian Association of Social Work, Autism Co-operative Research Centre, Australasian Autism Research Council and is an Ambassador for the I CAN Network, Australia’s largest provider of Autistic-led group mentoring programs, training and consultancy.

He is an Associate Researcher with Curtin University (WA) and Macquarie University (NSW) in Australia, and a Tutor Practitioner for the University of Birmingham’s Autism Masters course in the UK.

Wenn is on the board of Good Autism Practice UK, the editorial board for Autism in Adulthood and the advisory board of the US Autism Association.

In 2021, he was awarded the Lesley Hall National Lifetime Achievement Award for Disability Leadership.

Kathy is passionate about high-impact research that will directly improve the lives of neurodivergent people and their families in the UK and internationally, including in low- and middle-income countries. Kathy’s research is wide-ranging and includes randomised controlled trials of interventions, qualitative studies of lived experiences and studies looking at communication development, family relationships, wellbeing and quality of life. Her work is underpinned by a strong pro-neurodiversity ethos.

Rose is also involved in a research study exploring autistic people’s support needs with sexuality, gender identity and intimate relationships. Rose has a particular interest in ageing and later life. Her book, which has the working title Autistic perspectives on death and dying, is due to be published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers in 2024.

Holly has spoken about the issue of late diagnosis and the pain of spending four decades believing she was “broken” before discovering the truth. She is now a passionate advocate for neurodiversity and is on a “life mission” to change public perceptions of autism, especially regarding girls and women.