2025 Presenters' Bios

Laura Buckland Mason

Presenting: A Little Piece Of Autistic Space: An Art Workshop & (Optional) Postcard Swap

Laura has really valued spending time in autistic spaces ever since she first attended Autscape in 2016. Being able to be herself in a supportive, non-judgemental environment has helped her to discover the things that are important to her - and one of those things is art!

Laura loves exploring new art materials and techniques, filling sketchbooks, taking part in communal art, craft and writing projects that bring people together, facilitating and attending various art groups and workshops, and exchanging art with people around the world.

Marek Stankiewicz

Presenting: A World of Senses

I'm Autistic/ADHD, gender diverse. I'm also a Special Educator with many years of experience and a Consultant in Transcultural Positive Psychotherapy. For many years I have been working as a support person for Autistic and/or ADHD people and their families, as well as a consultant for specialists and teachers.

Heta Pukki

Presenting: Beyond the badges - preventing marginalization in autistic space

Heta is a late-diagnosed autistic woman with extensive experience in engaging in, and occasionally trying to build, various autistic spaces. One of her main interests has been the promotion of autistic voices that do not usually get heard in advocacy, an interest that culminated in drafting and steering a project on this topic. Heta's own experiences of being excluded in autistic spaces are linked to situational mutism and trauma reactions, challenges which are also familiar to her through family members. Her ideas for solutions stem from experience in autistic-led NGO work and her studies in special pedagogy.

Janine Booth

Presenting: Building Autistic Space in and through Trade Unions

Janine Booth is the UK's leading neurodiversity organiser and trainer for trade unions. Through Red in the Spectrum, she runs the neurodiversity training programmes for several trade unions, including PCS (civil service), FBU (fire brigades), CWU (communications), GMB (general), NASUWT (teack\hers) and various NHS professional bodies.

Janine is a former member of the National Executive Committee of rail and transport workers' union RMT, and is currently active in the national Education Union (NEU).

More about Janine: www.janinebooth.com

She is the author of Autism Equality in the Workplace: removing barriers and challenging discrimination (JKP, 2016).

Angela Kingdon from The Autistic Culture Podcast

Presenting: Building Autistic-First Spaces Through Podcasting

Dr. Angela Kingdon is an autistic advocate, bestselling author, and award-winning podcast host dedicated to amplifying neurodivergent voices. She is the creator and host of The Autistic Culture Podcast, a Substack bestseller and Quill Podcast Award finalist, which explores autistic experiences through a neurodiversity-affirming lens. Angela is also the founder of the Neurodivergent Podcaster Collective, supporting autistic creators in building their own media spaces. She serves on the editorial board of Neurodiversity Journal and studies psychology at the University of Kent. Through podcasting, research, and public speaking, Angela advances autistic-first spaces where neurodivergent people can thrive.

Ruth Yates

Presenting: Creating space with Qigong

Ruth has practised Tai chi and Qigong since 2012, and has recently completed a course in teaching Tai chi and Qigong for rehabilitation and wellbeing at Tai chi Rehab. They are currently studying Shiatsu and hold a certificate in Holistic Acupressure. They are keen to share tools for mindful movement and self-care. Ruth is also a writer.

Leneh Buckle

Presenting: Evolution of Autscape

Leneh was one of the founding members of Autscape in 2004 and has been involved in some capacity in organising the event through most of the years that followed. She wrote a chapter about Autscape for the book "Autistic Community and the Neurodiversity Movement". Leneh has presented at several Autscapes on various topics as well as at conferences and other events. She is a PhD student at the University of Manchester and mother of 5, including one NT.

Silke Rudolph

Presenting: How Language and Culture Influence Autistic Spaces in Europe

Silke is a late-diagnosed autistic. She is a Board Member of the European Council for Autistic People (EUCAP).

Born and raised in the German Democratic Republic (GDR) until its dissolution, she later lived in Germany before moving to Denmark as an adult, where she was diagnosed.

Her unique experience of living in different countries with distinct and changing political systems and speaking fluently in different languages has sparked her interest and motivated her to support the development and growth of Autistic Space across Europe, e.g. through advocacy and organisational work with EUCAP.

Zuzanna Makowska

Presenting: Inner Autistic Space – Making Room for Feeling

Psychologist, psychotraumatologist, and crisis interventionist. For several years, she has been working with autistic adults, kids, and families of autistic people, helping them cope with psychological crises and build happier lives through a needs-based approach. As a trauma-aware mental health specialist and an autistic and ADHD individual, living in a neurodivergent family and raising an autistic daughter, she is deeply committed to improving the well-being and happiness of the autistic community.

Laurentius Rex

Presenting: Lost in Space

Laurentius is a retired academic whose involvement with autism goes back at least a quarter of a century with local and national advocacy. They have written and contributed to various books and articles as well as served on various advisory groups including the National Autistic Task Force. They have personal experience of outdoor spaces, camping, hiking, gardening and forestry as a leisure activity

Kim Mears

Presenting: Multi-Modal communication spaces

Kim is a late discovered neurodivergent speech and language therapist who is passionate about amplifying lived experience, being an ally and disrupting the status quo. Constantly learning and unlearning, she is currently co-authoring a resource on the communication identity of semi speaking with Harriet Richardson. Kim recently completed a Masters in Education where her dissertation used critical discourse analysis to examine speech therapy practice and attitudes towards the concept of semi-speaking (available at https://oro.open.ac.uk/102586/).

Caroline Hearst

Presenting: The relationship between double empathy and mentalising

Caroline Hearst qualified as an art-psychotherapist and worked in a variety of roles before discovering that she is autistic. On returning to the UK after living in NZ she worked as an autism educator specialising in training therapists. She also developed “Exploring Being Autistic” a programme for autistic adults and is the founder and a director of AutAngel, a community interest company that supports and is run by and for autistic adults. She is embraces the idea of neuro-diversity and believes that autistic spaces and community can enrich the larger community and make autistic lives more fulfilling.