Online Autscape 2026: Presenters

[ Tickets | Schedule | Presentations | Presenters ]

Last updated: 24 Jan 2026

Featured presenter: Kate Fox

Presenting: Radical Self Acceptance Through Creative Writing and Reading

Kate Fox is a stand-up poet, spoken word artist and broadcaster. She is a regular contributor to Radio 4's spoken word cabaret “The Verb”, has made two comedy series for Radio 4, been Poet in Residence for the Glastonbury Festival and the Great North Run and completed a PhD in stand-up comedy.

She is the author of “Where There’s Muck There’s Bras: True Stories of the North of England’s Women” published by Harper North, and poetry collections including "On Sycamore Gap" (Harper North, 2024), "Bigger On the Inside" (Smokestack Books, 2024) and "The Oscillations" (Nine Arches Press, 2021). She is also a neurodivergent advocate whose latest show “Bigger on the Inside" explores neurodiversity through the lens of Doctor Who.

Alena

Presenting: Autism in Eastern Europe: current situation, challenges and prospectives

Alena is an autistic Belarusian citizen and a mother of autistic child, currently living in Finland. She obtained Bachelor and master’s degrees in philosophy as well as Researcher’s PhD diploma in the field of the History of Philosophy and retraining in Quality Management. A former lecturer in Philosophy in the Belarusian Academy of Music (University), she did practice music herself and dedicated her scientific works to the philosophy of music.

Anna

Presenting: Creating autistic space with text and images

Anna is an autistic PhD student, artist, and activist. Having studied both architecture (BArch) and digital sociology (MSc), she developed an ongoing interest in digital spatiality. Receiving her late-diagnosis led her to autistic online spaces and her current SENSS-funded PhD project on autistic women’s digital and spatial experiences. Her artistic practice has focused on autistic spaces, online forums and questions of public space, and digital avatars. Her writing on autistic space has been published by Type.ie and in the ‘Autistic Autonomy’ Autistica Zine. Anna is also a member of the Autism@Manchester Expert by Lived Experience Group.

Betsy Selvam

Presenting: Nomadic Networks: Neuroqueer Community-Building in Digital Spaces

Betsy Selvam is a neurodivergent artist from Vellore, south India. Her work may be found in Ought: The Journal of Autistic Culture, Mulberry Literary, and Anti-Heroin Chic, among other places. She also works with Stimpunks Foundation, regularly contributing art and writing on autism and neurodiversity. Currently, she is a PhD candidate interested in autistic life writing.

Chiara

Presenting: AutArt - Collage creating Workshop

Chiara.is a a 24-year-old autistic teacher livening in Vienna, Austria. Some audience members may know her from Autscape 2023, 2024, and 2025. She loves being creative.

Daniel Grahn

Presenting: Generation Online

Daniel Grahn is Chairman of the Swedish association OA (Organised Autistics).

Dr. Gal Schkolnik (they/them)

Presenting: Informing each other by uploading new locations to prepped.to

Aut2Aut Founder & CEO, an Autistic and Nonbinary Community organizer and activist, whom you might remember from last year’s lightning talk about organizing local communities. They recently founded the nonprofit Aut2Aut, which provides free and ad-free digital solutions and platforms by and for the autistic community.

Typically autistic, their career has been rather eventful, with highlights in Biophysical Chemistry and Product Analytics. Currently their special interests include Autistic Accessibility and Self-Determination, Anti-Colonialism, Nature, their three cats, and as always, Star Trek.

They never leave home without their ear buds, yellow glasses and a cap.

Gideon Henner

Presenting: Evolving Space Through Evolving Language(s)

Gideon Henner (he/him) is a neurodivergent/disabled writer, translator, neurodiversity advocate and researcher from Germany, now living near Edinburgh. He completed his MA in Medical Humanities at Durham University with distinction. His research focuses on the intersection of neurodiversity and language(s), including literature and linguistics. Links can be found at: https://linktr.ee/gregory.lawrence

Imke Heuer

Presenting: "Neuro-Enhancing and in line with the neurodiversity paradigm?!": Lessons from the AIRA Project

Imke Heuer studied Literature, History and Cultural Studies in Germany, Italy and the UK, and holds a PhD in English and Related Literature. She is a research associate at the University Hospital Eppendorf/ Hamburg (UKE)/ University of Hamburg/ Germany in the field of mental health and participatory research. Her main research interests are in peer support, autism, neurodiversity and the intersections of diagnosis and diagnosis and identity. She is also active in autistic self advocacy, both in Germany and on the European level, and is a board member of the European Council of Autistic People (EUCAP).

Jo Minchin and Fergus Murray

Presenting: Remembering Dinah Murray, the NAT Founders Award

Jo Minchin has worked as an NHS Expert by Lived Experience since 2014, contributing to Care and Treatment Reviews within the NHSE Transforming Care programme. She also worked with Dr Dinah Murray on the Mental Health Act review in 2017/18 and now works nationally as an autistic consultant. Jo is a Director of the National Autistic Taskforce.

Fergus Murray is a writer, science educator, autistic community organiser and independent researcher. They co-founded Autistic Mutual Aid Society Edinburgh, founded Weird Pride Day, and write, speak and run workshops on neurodiversity. Fergus has carried out significant work on Monotropism theory.

Jorik Mol and Seonaid Weightman

Presenting: Creating and Re-creating a Writers' Network - QNDN

Seonaid Weightman (she/her) is a Scottish poet, creative, educator, producer and multi-hyphenate, who lives in Portugal with a variety of cats and astonishing fashion sense. Jorik Mol (he/they) is an author, educator, performer and professional pain in the arse. Jorik lives in the South-west of England with Luke Chaston (he/they), a writer, educator and a domestic pain in the arse. Together, since 2023, they have run QNDN - the queer neurodivergent writers' network. QNDN meets every other week to write together, be together and try to take over the world. Contact us to find out more.

Jules

Presenting: Backstage: a free VIP pass to safe Autistic online interaction

Jules realised his Autistic Neurodivergence in middle age and embraces that identity. He has previously formed small businesses successfully. At 60 years young he transfers those skills into the entirely Autistic Charity; Autistic Association. He has previously formed small businesses successfully.

Kosjenka Petek

Presenting: Access, agency, autonomy: Inside the Digital for All Curriculum

Kosjenka is a part of EUCAP's Digital For All team. She is a qualified teacher and teacher trainer, and the Programme Director of the ASK Self-Advocacy Society Croatia. She organises and manages ASK’s self-advocacy events, professional conferences, and liaises with stakeholders. She has 20 years of experience in inclusive education and technology integration. Her current work focuses on universal design in learning, AAC implementation, designing and conducting participatory research.

Lacey Artemis

Presenting: The Sensory Nerd: Remixing Your Environment for Less Overwhelm

Lacey Artemis is a musician and video producer with over 20 years of experience. As someone with sensory issues, she learned that comfort is all about balance. She used audio production concepts as a bridge into building a comprehensive sensory accessibility model called SOLACE. Lacey is passionate about educating and has an engaging, dynamic presentation style. Her presentations have been described as 'nerdy in the best way!'

Laura Buckland Mason

Presenting: Laura Buckland Mason

Laura has really valued spending time in autistic spaces ever since she first attended an in-person 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.

Luis

Presenting: Building Autism Community and Its Impact on Individuals

Luis is an autistic advocate and community organiser with a strong interest in building inclusive, peer-led spaces that centre lived experience. His work focuses on strengthening autism communities to reduce isolation, support wellbeing, and empower individuals to develop confidence and self-advocacy skills. He is particularly interested in strengths-based approaches, co-production, and translating lived experience into practical insights that can inform services, policy, and wider understanding of neurodiversity.

Malika Bouazzaoui

Presenting: Using AI for mental health- reflections on the impact for autistic folk

Malika Bouazzaoui is a consultant in AI and digital health, with more than a decade of experience in artificial intelligence and digital mental health. She supports the UK government in deciding which mental health solutions to finance to resolve the current mental health crisis at scale. She is also a mental health professional with experience in the NHS and in supporting autistic people.

Dr Meera Joshi

Presenting: Discovering Your Personal Process

Dr Meera Joshi BM BCh MA (Oxf) is an educator, artist, medical doctor and psychological trauma specialist.

Specialism: understanding and supporting nervous systems to thrive
Attitude: empowering a wide range of neurotypes, traumatized nervous systems and systemically minoritised persons is the key to resolving many of our current sociological, economic and public health issues
Approach: Education, advocacy and developing interventions that are both cognitive and somatic, individual and collective, specialized and pro-social

Meera is an Associate Fellow at Green Templeton College, University of Oxford where she proudly supports learning and community.

Michelle Dodd

Presenting: Social Connection in Online Interactions

A late-diagnosed autistic PhD candidate investigating how individuals connect and interact in digital environments. Research interests include autistic and non-autistic communication and adaptation.

Experience includes working as research assistant on the international replication of the Crompton et al. diffusion chain study and on a project exploring community belonging.

Perpetually learning to ‘human’.

Raquel Lebre

Presenting: Working in Autistic Space Online: What an Autistic-Led Organisation Learns by Doing

Raquel Lebre, the Learning & Development Project Lead at IMPACTsci and co-founder of the Autistic Voices Association Portugal, holds an MSc in Marketing Management and Public Relations and is certified in Feminist Foreign Policy. With over 10 years of experience in various management fields, including Marketing, Human Resources, and Project Management. As an autistic and neurodivergent advocate, Raquel is a frequent guest speaker, managed multiple national and European projects and provided training focused on inclusion, neurodiversity and advocacy.

Sharon Zivkovic

Presenting: Program for Autistic Innovators, Systemisers and Social Entrepreneurs

Dr Sharon Zivkovic is an autistic social entrepreneur and systems thinker. Sharon’s social enterprise Community Capacity Builders established a Centre for Autistic Social Entrepreneurship in 2023. This Centre piloted a Program for Autistic Innovators, Systemisers and Social Entrepreneurs in 2025 which provides autistic individuals with the knowledge and skills to use their innate autistic ways of thinking for the creation of social innovations, to systemise social innovations, and establish social enterprises.

Silke Rudolph

Presenting: How Language and Culture Influence Autistic Spaces

Silke is a late-diagnosed autistic.

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.

Yair S.

Presenting: On Apartheid and Neurodiversity in Palestine

Yair is an autistic musical artist, educator and activist, based in Jerusalem, occupied Palestine.