What an absolutely gorgeous and phenomenal surprise to wake up this morning to the incredible and overwhelming news that I had been nominated for a Positive Role Model award at the extremely prestigious National Diversity Awards !! I don’t think I’ll ever sleep again I’m so excited !! Wow Wow Wow ….I never dreamed that anything like this could ever happen to someone like me !
Some truly inspiring and motivational people have been nominated for various awards. It’s a very humbling and amazing read. Even if I do not win, I am just so honoured to have had my name alongside theirs. Every nominee is a winner to me . What remarkable journeys and people ! I want to vote for them all !
I cannot believe that my work, message and journey have been given such value and such recognition.
I am utterly blown away and just so full of gratitude.
For so many years 18 or 19 hour days have become the norm , so much of it unpaid, as I continually campaign and fight for all the hundreds and thousands of young people just like my own autistic son. His journey birthed this work and my destiny as I grew to realise that so,so many children were suffering and being surrounded by a total poverty of expectation, just as he was. I would go to the ends of the Earth ( and have done at times!) for them and I will do this work until the end of my life . These incredible voices need to be heard. These neurodiverse children have so much to teach us and so much to contribute to our changing world.
If you think that what I do is of value and you would like to vote for me, I would be endlessly thankful ! Let’s hear it for the kids !!! And if I win then I will have a bigger platform fro which to get these hugely valid and important voices heard. Neurodiverse children become neurodiverse adults .. and they have SO MUCH potential !
So please vote for me and spread the word.
Thank you !!
Please click on the link below to vote in this year’s National Diversity Awards 2021
I am delighted to have been invited by Graeme Croton, founder of the Aspie Project, as a special guest to take part in the “Special Open Space Initiative” Online Group Event on March 31st from 7pm-8pm GMT.
Open Space One-to-One Initiative, funded by the National Lottery Community Fund and the Government, has been helping and supporting autistic people throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. It has been and continues to support with online One-to-One mentoring sessions and online Zoom Group sessions focusing on adapting to change during Covid-19 and autism shared lived experiences,behavioural challenges, isolation, loneliness, mental health and wellbeing, amongst a whole host of topics.
This initiative is geared towards bringing the autism community together throughout Covid-19, to support each other, gain advice, brainstorm ,share ideas and help each other. What an absolutely wonderful concept !!
On Wednesday 31st March the Open Space Initiative will be focusing on Adapting To Change during Covid-19 from an autistic perspective.
This Special Online Group Event is a build-up to celebrating World Autism Day on 2 April 2121 and Autism Awareness week.
I am SUPER PROUD to be a part of something so special and so invaluable.
I am absolutely delighted to have been invited as the guest panellist to the “Live Wires” seminar with Emma Willars on 22 April 2021 12.30-1.15pm GMT for the Bright Minds’ Work & Family Event.
This webinar is about Parenting Children and Young People with Autism, ADHD and Asperger’s.
We will be chatting about balancing work and family when you have a child with special needs and I will be sharing tips, advice and experience about this as well as arming yourselves with as much SEN knowledge as possible . It will all be live, with question and answer sessions included, which I especially love because it is real, natural, direct and impactful.
The audience capacity will be up to 3000 people who I literally cannot wait to meet, share with and also learn from .
Emma has worked in Learning and Development for over 20 years. Director and lead consultant at Work Life Now, she supports employers and employees with models and solutions for better work-life integration: creating content – facilitating virtual workshops – forwarding diversity and inclusion strategies. Emma organises 10 seminars a year for Bright Horizons Work & Family Academy which she supports by delivering events for working parents and neurodiversity. A dedicated and motivational lady who is right up my street !
My strong,determined,gifted son has defied all the odds set against him during our often utterly heartbreaking and exhausting journey together where everything that most families can take for granted was a fight and we were told he would “never achieve ‘ simply because he has autism … and today found out the INCREDIBLE news that he has passed his Masters in Creative Writing with flying colours !!!
He is now more qualified than the eight teachers who told me that Ollie would “get two GCSE’s at the very most” and I have lost my tonsils somewhere across the other side of the Bristol Channel from my absolute scream of joy and pride !!!!!!
I am crying as I write this.
Oh this is exactly why I do all I do ….my battle for my son has blessed me with the learning,experience and fight to believe in and grow so,so many others . Many of my long hours are often unpaid but today I feel like the richest woman in the world .