2008 Presentations

This page about Autscape 2008 is of historical interest only. Go to the home page for current information.
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2008

2008 Archived Presentations

  1. Creating Sensorially Accessible Space (Sarah Clemerson)
  2. Inertia and Action in Music (Katja Gottschewski)
  3. Autism Rights Activism and Disability Rights Activism (Steve Graby)
  4. What makes us tick and what makes us stick? (Kalen)
  5. London Autistic Rights Movement UK (LARM UK) (Alexis Miller on behalf of LARM)
  6. Collaborating for action: Autreach and the AutreachIT project (Roger Turner and Dinah Murray)
  7. Action to manage your own support (Yo)

Practical Workshops

  1. Finding your balance - integrating action and inertia with NLP (Selina Postgate)
  2. Act now: make a website, start a group; write, share, publish (Roger Turner)

Orientation

Here you can download the 2008 Orientation Handout, which contains various hints and information about attending the 2008 presentations. (.PDF, 166K, one A4 page) You can also get the slides to this orientation presentation. (PowerPoint, 87K)

Creating Sensorially Accessible Space

Presenter: Sarah Clemerson
Download handouts:
- Creating Sensorially Accessible Space (pdf summary) (Adobe PDF format, 100KB)
- Creating Sensorially Accessible Space (powerpoint presentation) (powerpoint, 2.1MB)

Description: There is a lot of talk about physical accessibility, but almost none regarding sensory or neuro-accessibility. This workshop will begin with an introduction to my work and also an update for those who were at last year's conference. This will be followed by an open discussion about the design guidelines needed to meet sensory rights and needs.

I will introduce my work which is to find out commonalities in people's sensory experiencing and needs. I will briefly update previous participants on my work since last years Autscape and my ongoing work with Dave Morris Senior Policy Advisor to the Mayor of London on Disability and Deaf Equality etc.

I will bring along models showing examples of what can be done to facilitate neuro-accessibility to create fully inclusive spaces. I hope the models will generate discussion and throw in some questions such as what are people's favourite or least favourite places. What features of these places determine this?

Then look at how the information we have gathered could be used to inform the design of space and how people can lobby in their local communities for their needs to be met.

Inertia and Action in Music

Presenter: Katja Gottschewski
Download handout:
Inertia and Action in Music (powerpoint presentation) (112KB)

Description: In my presentation I want to explore the musical expression of inertia and action. Among other things I will look at how inertia, which is commonly seen as something negative that needs to be overcome, can have a positive quality in music. Another focus will be transitions from inertia to action and vice versa. I will relate these musical concepts and experiences to other life situations, looking at whether music can teach us some strategies in dealing with inertia.

Autism Rights Activism and Disability Rights Activism

Presenter: Steve Graby
A copy of Steve's handout can be downloaded from his blog.

Description: A workshop or semi-structured discussion on the experiences of autistic people within the disability rights movement, and the relationship between the autism rights movement (as an impairment-specific movement, and including related movements such as the neurodiversity and autism acceptance movements) and the wider disability rights movement (as a movement of people with all types of impairment/disability, and including related movements such as the independent living/inclusive living movement). Hopefully topics discussed will include the experiences of autistic people in the wider disability movement, whether autistic activists want to identify with the concept of "disability" (and if not, why not), the social model of disability and how it applies to autism, and what value, if any, impairment-specific organisations have within disability politics.

What makes us tick and what makes us stick?

Presenter: Kalen
Download handout:
Tick and Stick (powerpoint presentation)

Description: This presentation will explore the neurological and psychological processes behind inertia and timing, which is an essential component for action. Inertia may be related to executive function, perseveration, coping with change, motor control, attention control, depression, and catatonia, all of which autistic people have been shown to have problems with. Timing underlies our perception of time passing, motor control, planning, sleep, and social exchange, again in all of which differences are seen in autistic people. The presentation will be mainly about how these things work, but will also explore some possibilities for coping.

London Autistic Rights Movement UK (LARM UK)

Presenter: Alexis Miller on behalf of LARM
Download handouts:

Description: This presentation describes the activities of the London Autistic Rights Movement, a London-based group set up last September after a meeting at City Hall. This is at present an informal group meeting in London every fortnight or so, who are seeking to embark on campaigning in London on issues of interest to autistics. The presentation will describe the group's principles, the issues it is seeking to campaign on, and the methods it is going to use to campaign. The issues include both practical ones, such as Freedom Passes so autistic people can travel around London for free, and access to public buildings which may be designed poorly for autistics, and more general issues of how autistic people are portrayed in society in negative and patronising ways, which we are seeking to counteract by celebrating autism as a positive thing. We intend to use a wide variety of means to campaign, ranging from press releases and lobbying to protests and possibly direct action. The presentation will also look at the progress London ARM has made so far, and at the plans it has for the future. In particular at plans to become a properly constituted organisation, with a membership, steering committee and bank account.

Collaborating for action: Autreach and the AutreachIT project

Presenters: Roger Turner & Dinah Murray
Download handouts:

Description: Autreach was discussed in informal sessions at Autscape 2007. Since then three groups have developed, in different ways, under the Autreach banner. Online tools have helped the groups to make a start on collaborating to achieve effective action, which has included media campaigning and parliamentary consultation.

AutreachIT is an Autreach group which has a program of action to promote access to ICT (Information and Communication Technology) for autistic adults in this country. A pilot study of AAC (Alternative and Augmentative Communication) devices in care homes is under way; projects introducing computers and access to internet resources are planned.

A workshop based on the online software used for the Autreach websites will be available, with individual help for anyone interested in taking action by starting a new Autreach group.

The presentation will focus on practical experiences of Autreach groups taking action during the past year, and how different online services can facilitate action, or not.

Action to manage your own support

Presenter: Yo Download handouts:

Description: This workshop will focus on taking action to manage support effectively. Topics covered will include: care planning for yourself; working out what support can help you with (and what it can't!); finding, employing and managing support workers; coping with the paperwork!; when things go wrong; integrating informal support; using support to meet your goals.

Mini-presentations interspersed with short written activities, discussion and role play will be used to help participants:

People attending the session will not be required to participate in any activities. Those who simply wish to observe will be welcome.

This will be a largely participant-driven workshop which will attempt to use the shared experiences of participants to direct the exact focus of the workshop.

Practical Workshops

Finding your balance - integrating action and inertia with NLP

Description: Using mainly non-verbal methods of working (drawing, painting and collage, plus exploratory and descriptive movement and sound) I shall introduce the NLP concepts of "outcome setting" and "squashing" within a life-planning framework. This will allow participants to explore via several sensory modalities how they would like to progress and develop in various life areas, and to build a visual reminder of this to take away with them.

Weather permitting the initial workshop will include a guided walk out of doors, and also some sound-making and random dance movement. All activities within the workshop will be totally optional, and positively no artistic talent or experience is required!

Act now: make a website, start a group; write, share, publish

Presenter: Roger Turner
Download handout: Backpack Exercises

Description: This hands-on workshop is an introduction to the web application (internet service) used to develop the AutreachIT website (www.autreach.co.uk). It is suitable for anyone who can use a mouse and a keyboard, no technical knowledge is required. Participants will create their own free websites and add them to the directory of groups on the Autreach Network site (www.autreach.org.uk). The websites can easily be updated and used to publicise and coordinate the activities of a small group.

AutreachIT is an Autreach group which has a program of action to promote access to ICT (Information and Communication Technology) for autistic adults in this country, including providing computers and internet access in care homes.