Odyssey Global Media Grassroots Global Autism Conference Snapshots

An Odyssey with Anum Farooq (Odyssey Global Media)

Odyssey Global Media Global held a Grassroots Global Autism Conference focusing on the theme of lived experiences, and individual perspectives from a local to a global level, to carry forward the human narrative.

Thiandi Grooff lives in Amsterdam in her own apartment with 24/7 support because she has no muscle control. She has a masters in International and European Human Rights Law. She is a member of quiet riot, a group of non-verbal poets and activists, campaigning for full inclusion and inclusive education. Juan Cobeñas lives in Argentina, and has a degree in Spanish and Literature and a postgraduate certificate in Cognitive Accessibility. He uses a wheelchair and communicates using a form of alternative augmentative communication. Sarah-Jane comes from a traditional Fine Art background. She studied for a BA (Hons) Fine Art at Liverpool John Moore's University (UK) and DipCipris (a postgraduate degree) in Fine Art at the Cyprus College of Art (Cyprus). Continuing her studies, she focused on creative education, completing a PGCE (Art & Design) at the University of Leeds (UK) and a Post-16 Teaching Certificate at Cyprus College of Art (Cyprus). Rachel Winder is an Autistic Autism consultant. She has a lifetime of personal Autistic experiences and knowledge to help bridge the gap between Autistic and non-autistic worlds. She is on the National Autistic Society’s Autism Services Directory, with an MA in Autism. Rachel is fluent in British Sign Language, and can communicate fluently with Deaf-Blind people who use Deaf-Blind Manual, Block and Visual frame signing. She also has a Qualified Teacher Learning Status (QTLS) allowing her to teach people age 14 years and beyond. Ghafaria is a specialist mentor in mental health conditions and Autism. She is a research student (Psychology and Human Development Dept), UCL’s Faculty of Education and Society. Ghafaria is neurodivergent researcher that is interested in Autism and mental health in the South Asian people that live in the United Kingdom. Also, she is passionate about intersectionalities and how these impact the lived experiences of people. Susan Golubock was diagnosed with Autism in her early fifties. As a now-retired occupational therapist she specialized in sensory processing, executive functioning, and pursued a master's degree in assistive technology. All of these skills, along with her passion for understanding differences in brain functioning, enabled her to develop training modules to help neurotypical individuals to better understand and support the neurological strengths and differences of individuals with Autism.