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The Inaugural Intersectional Infinity Summit lives on in each of you! Please check out our YouTube Channel to catch the recordings!
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Calendar of Events Now Available to All Registrants!
Morénike Giwa Onaiwu, PhD, is an educator, writer, public speaker, parent, and global advocate whose work focuses on meaningful community involvement and leadership, disability, racial, and gender equity, dismantling stigma, and inclusion and empowerment. Often drawing from personal background as a person of color in a neurodiverse and serodifferent family, alate-diagnosed adult on the autism spectrum, and relevant educational and professional experience, Morénike is a highly sought after presenter, consultant, and subject matter expert. Morénike, founder and principal operator of Advocacy Without Borders, has been an invited speaker in the White House, at the United Nations Headquarters, a keynote speaker and/or presenter at numerous conferences, and provides diversity, research, and disability consulting to several organizations. Morénike, a Humanities Scholar at Rice University, has been published by Beacon Press and Palgrave MacMillan and will release a 2022 edited collection on neurodiversity in the Black community with Jessica Kingsley Publishing.
My name is Aiden Lee. I am an abstract painter, teacher and human advocate. I was born with multiple diagnoses; Autism, ADHD, Anxiety.
One of the challenges I faced made it difficult to communicate and express my thoughts and feelings with those around me.
That is when I found art.
For the first time, I was able to express myself fully and it changed my life. I use different styles and mediums to create bright, bold colours, with a blend of different textures which inspire the mind, body and soul.
Did you know?
Did you know?
My artwork is featured on the cover of the Ontario Government's Autism Parent Resource Kit.
From 2017-2021, I have taught over 3700 students in my My Art From the Heart initiative. Teaching the power of art and unleashing your emotions on the canvas.Special Olympics Sweden is home to a piece that I did in
I created the ‘2019 Community Spirit Awards’ for the town of Oakville. Celebrating community leaders that impact positive change.
Ontario parliament is home to a mixed media art piece - entitled ‘Leaf in Canada’.
The painting, ‘Evolution’ resides in Temple Grandin's home in Boston, Massachusetts.
The Art from the Heart painting created for 2019 WE Day was donated and auctioned off to raise money to support those in need and purchased by the Pinball Clemons Foundation.
The Iroquois Ridge Library in Oakville, Ontario is home to a 6 ft. canvas, entitled, ‘Story time’, combining recycled library books and mixed media materials.
Alyssa Hillary Zisk is an Autistic math teacher and neuroscientist with too many research interests and no intention of narrowing it down. Most of those interests can somehow fall under disability and communication, neurodiversity and representation, or neurodiversity and queerness. They use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) some of the time.
NeuroDivergent Consulting
NeuroDivergent Consulting
Lyric Holmans is an autistic self-advocate from Texas who runs the neurodiversity lifestyle blog Neurodivergent Rebel. They are also the founder of NeuroDivergent Consulting.
Lyric is known as the pioneer of the #AskingAutistics hashtag, where simple questions prompt open-ended responses that Autistic people can easily chime in with, and invites participants to engage each other in conversations related to the topic. This hashtag connects NeuroDiverse people who would not otherwise have a reason to engage with each other, and fosters collective understanding of the Autistic Experience
Karen Muriuki
Karen Muriuki
Karen Muriuki
Founder, Kenyans Living with Autism IDA(International Disability Alliance), and Bridge CRPD-SDGs fellow
What is Bridge CRPD-SDG?
What is Bridge CRPD-SDG?
Bridge CRPD-SDGs is an intensive training programme that aims to support organisations of persons with disabilities (DPOs) and disability rights advocates to develop an inclusive (all persons with disabilities) and comprehensive (all human rights) CRPD perspective on development, including the post-2015 agenda and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), to reinforce their advocacy for inclusion and realisation of rights of persons with disabilities.
Jay is a disabled non-binary queer autistic plural system living in Australia. They are an archer and an artist with many hobbies, interests, and experiences. They write a blog called Jay's World which expresses their experiences with trauma, being Autistic, Latine, non-verbal, using AAC to communicate, having an intellectual disability, dissociative identity disorder, cerebral palsy, Tourette's and multiple other disabilities.
Find Jays Blog at
Sofia Akbar is a neurodivergent, diagnosed Autistic, ADHDer with Mears Irlen Syndrome & Dyspraxia. She is an anti-racist activist, pro neurodivergent community change-maker and an entrepreneur. She is a part time Masters of Education student investigating the impact of intersectionality on ethnic minority neurodivergent secondary school learners and its implications on power structures in education. A busy single mother and educator, Sofia is also the CEO of her own co-founded Scottish charity, Al Masaar. She is the first openly Autistic South Asian charity leader. She is also the co-founder of Scottish Ethnic Minority Autistics.
Facebook Group
Kylia Kennedy, co-founder/CEO, Autistics Unmasked
Kylia Kennedy, co-founder/CEO, Autistics Unmasked
Kylia Kennedy
Kylia Kennedy
Kylia (Ky) Kennedy (they/them) is a black, autistic mother, author, lactation specialist and advocate. In 2021 they saw a need to a black, autistic lead self advocacy organization and set out with their sister, Safiya Yasmeen (she/her), to do just that. Now, over a year later Ky is the proud Co-Founder and CEO of Autistics Unmasked (AU), an organization that centers BIPOC and Queer voices, providing a safe place for autistic self advocacy. Their goal is to build AU to becoming *the* go-to organization for parents, educators, employers, family members and friends of autistic people. In addition, Ky’s hope is that AU will be a place for autistic people to rely on to provide them resources to find care and community.
I’m Johnny Profane. 67. Pretend Rock Star…
Cuz it’s ALL Cosplay.
I was born before autism was invented… More or less.
1953…
Long before autism made the scene in medicine or pop culture.
I’ve been here for the WHOLE movie.
Been a meditation teacher, cult member, typesetter, editor, magazine publisher, ad agency owner, marketing veep, non-profit activist, 3-time grad student, 3-time husband, homeless, mental health counselor, substance abuse counselor, cult counselor, homeless, singer/songwriter, homeless, fast-food clerk, Pretend Rock Star…
So…
I have no credentials to offer. At least none that matter to me…. Anymore.
So I offer my life.
Ayanna Davis
Meet Ayanna aka Phenomenallyautistic Ayanna is an autism advocate born & raised in Westchester County, New York along with having autism she has survived over 300 seizures lives with Chronic illnesses has 3 autoimmune diseases, but she doesn’t let that stop her from spreading her messages of self love, joy, equality,diversity,inclusion & autism awareness & acceptance through the Arts.
💜 Autism Advocate 💜
Children’s Book Illustrator 🥰 - 16 books to date!
Creator of 4 coloring books for girls of color
Latest ‘We Are Magical’ available on Amazon
Designer ( kids customs ) - Harlem week, wbls Circle of Sisters, WPIX 11 morning news, Talijah Waahid World Natural Hair Show,
Lover of all Performing Arts
Theater kid 🎭
Honored at the United Nations
Was given a proclamation making April 26th Ayanna's Day in Westchester County, New York
Former choreographer - work seen on BET, ABC family, Maury Povich Show, The Apollo Theater - trained over 100 students
Dreamer 💫
https://linktr.ee/Phenomenallyautistic
Quinn Dexter, Autistamatic
Quinn Dexter
Quinn found out he was autistic as a teenager, some years before the concept of "The Autism Spectrum" was widely accepted and incorporated into diagnostic manuals. Over more than three decades he has watched autism go from a little known curiosity to a phenomenon that almost everyone has heard of.
Despite the great progress that has been made in awareness in that time, he never lost sight of the fact that awareness is only part of the problem facing autistic people today. Acceptance is the bigger problem. Too many people, including some on the spectrum, have little understanding of the true scope of what being autistic means, it's benefits, it's deficits and the disabling influence that lack of understanding has on the lives of every single Autistic person alive today.
With a little help from his friends, Quinn established Autistamatic to do what he can to put the record straight. To help autistic people realise they can be more than just their limitations. To assist the rest of the world to see our strengths and the immense contribution we have made to society throughout history.
Autism does not define who we are, but it is a part of who we are. Without it we would not be the same. Our personalities, our talents, our very essence would be missing a vital ingredient.
You are invited to join Quinn on his journey learning more about the lives, challenges and successes of other autistic people as we and our civilisation head towards a better understanding of each other.
"You are not JUST autistic, because every day can be an Autistamatic day".
Jordyn Zimmerman obtained her bachelors degree in Education Policy from Ohio University and her Masters of Education at Boston College. Having experienced special education programs while in school herself, Jordyn hopes to become a catalyst for change. As a nonspeaking autistic student who was denied access to effective augmentative communication until she was 18, Jordyn has personal experience challenging the educational status quo, which is featured in the 2021 documentary, This Is Not About Me.
Technology helped open Jordyn's world and in 2014, she began advocating for students through a series of speaking engagements. Since then, she has keynoted and presented at conferences around the world, is on the board of CommunicationFIRST, and has been featured by prominent media outlets. Jordyn has written blogs for companies in Amsterdam and has been featured by educators in Singapore.
An avid typist and advocate for all students, Jordyn helped to make The Ohio Speech and Debate Association more inclusive. She also founded the Ohio University Sparkle Effect team; the seventh, inclusive collegiate team in the nation. In 2017, she was recognized by the International Council for Exceptional Children with the "Yes I Can!" Award. All of this is just the beginning, as Jordyn is passionate and determined to make a difference in the world of education — making sure every student is able to access effective communication and exercise their right to a truly inclusive education..
Opal Nichols, Head of Education, Autistics Unmasked
Opal Nichols, Head of Education, Autistics Unmasked
Opal Nichols
Opal Nichols
Opal (they/them) is a certified disability technician & head of education at Autistics Unmasked, a non-profit organization that promotes autistic self-advocacy. As a neurodivergent educator, Opal also provides assistive technology to students in higher education institutions.
Baljit Ghuman
Baljit Ghuman
Sikhs for Autism is about Advocating and creating awareness around autism, especially within the Sikh and South Asian communities. We strive to work collaboratively towards building inclusive communities that ensure the rights and needs of the Autism community. www.sikhsforautism.com @Sikhs For Autism Born in Punjab (India), Baljit arrived in Canada during his mid teen years. He lives near Toronto with his family. Baljit has dedicated the last two decades playing key roles in creating awareness around the issues faced by communities including the disability and minority rights. He achieved this through community activism, radio broadcasting and writing for newspapers. Baljit is an Autism and Mental Health advocate. He is founder of Sikhs For Autism. https://linktr.ee/baljitghuman My article in Huffington Post:https://www.huffpost.com/archive/ca/entry/autism-taboo-community_ca_60131abac5b6aa4bad325259 Reet's short interview from 2020:https://youtu.be/sG5na78ZyuM
Autistic Collaboration Trust
Autistic Collaboration Trust
Jorn Bettin
Jorn Bettin
Jorn Bettin is a partner and founder at S23M, an employee owned software and consulting company operating in Oceania and Europe, who enjoys catalysing further NeurodiVentures. Jorn’s current work focuses on the co-design of new community-oriented and patient centric models of care, and on improving workplace cultures in Aotearoa.
Jorn Bettin
Jorn Bettin
Matty Lacey
Matty Lacey
Matty Lacey AKA Existential Autist is an autistic, ADHD, dyslexic, dyspraxic and proudly neurodivergent advocate, activist, mental health facilitator, spoken word poet, organizer and performer from the North East of England. Matty, within the last couple of years, completed a philosophy degree focusing upon Existential Philosophy and a dissertation and research entitled, "How And Can An Autistic Subject Live Authentically In Neoliberal Capitalist Society"
Matty is extremely passionate and committed to sharing, learning and advocating for the rights and emancipation of neurodivergent people. No matter the race, gender identity or sexual orientation, all neurodivergent people deserve respect, autonomy and the right to be heard and truly accepted.
Matty campaigns, advocates and works towards authentic autistic acceptance, aiming towards emancipation throughout society, and he hosts multiple spaces and talks online discussing philosophy, neurodivergence and authentic being and what it means as and for neurodivergent beings.
Twitter @ExistentialAut1
Sarah Bettin
Sarah Bettin
Sarah Bettin
Sarah Bettin
Sarah Bettin is my name. Some call me Hera. Before I die, my aim is to read all 800 manuscripts written by Te Rangikāheke, of which only some have been translated. I am interested in the early writings by Māori from the mid 1800s to early 1900s. I listen to the recordings of kaumātua recorded in the Waka Huia archives. My lucky spot is when I am kayaking with Jorn in the sea surrounding Waiheke Island. And I also take care of the book-keeping and administration needs of S23M and the Autistic Collaboration Trust. Here is a link to my lens in the mosaic of Autistic lenses.
Autistic Collaboration Trust
Autistic Collaboration Trust
Tania Melnyczuk
Tania Melnyczuk
Tania Melnyczuk , Collaboration Director, Autistic Strategies Network
Tania Melnyczuk , Collaboration Director, Autistic Strategies Network
Tania Melnyczuk is an autistic activist from South Africa. She’s the founder of the Autistic Strategies Network, an initiative promoting approaches to autism that actual autistic people find helpful. As an activist, she focuses on fighting abuse, understanding health, and promoting the communication rights of non-speaking people in accordance with the UN Convention on the Rights of People With Disabilities, particularly in Africa. Tania was the organiser of the world’s first Autistic Health Seminar, presented by autistic people to healthcare professionals. She is part of the international Ban ABA movement, and was the project manager for the award-winning film LISTEN, made by and with nonspeaking autists and sponsored by Communication First. Tania works in collaboration with other autistic-led initiatives in Africa, including Kenyans Living With Autism and the Zekwande Foundation. She serves on the board of the Western Cape Network on Disability (a provincial cross-disability organisation) and is a member along of the Special Interest Group on Autism established by the South African Speech, Language and Hearing Association. In her day job, she trains people in Project Management.
Taran Trinnaman
Taran Trinnaman
Taran Trinnaman is a social media blogger who speaks on the needs of intersectionality, diversity, and inclusion in entertainment and education.
A member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Taran Trinnaman also uses his platform to speak on the critical need for intersectional frameworks in matters of religion and politics due to experiences he had as a Black Queer autistic attending Brigham Young University, a private college owned by the LDS church in Utah in the United States.
He currently virtually attends Utah Valley University while working for Disney Parks and Resorts as a proud member of the custodian team and is working on finishing an “own voices” novel with queer and neurodivergent Black leads.
CalamityDarling
CalamityDarling (she/they) is a content creator and game developer with a passion for highlighting marginalized identities in gaming. She often uses her platform to provide a safe space for other autistic gamers, and talks openly about autism, in the hopes of generating much needed conversations about neurodiversity in an ableist society- especially for POC. She loves anything with a good story, from RPGs to MMOs, and will happily infodump about any of her many favorite fandoms. She is also a co-founder and director of new indie game studio Mundane Magic, which seeks to tell the stories of marginalized identities by marginalized developers!
Carolyn Kiel
Carolyn Kiel
Carolyn Kiel
Carolyn Kiel
Carolyn Kiel is an #ActuallyAutistic instructional designer and podcast host based in New Jersey. She hosts the Beyond 6 Seconds podcast (beyond6seconds.net), where she interviews neurodivergent people -- entrepreneurs, creators, advocates and more -- about their lives, identities, successes and struggles.
Cast of Lucy & Maya, the Musical
Paula Walker, Voices of Light
Paula Walker, Voices of Light
Paula Walker
Paula Walker
Paula is an accomplished author and composer, commissioned by Warner Bros. Canada to write and produce a children’s book and audio series. Her series entrances and evokes an intuitive understanding of music; all the while entertaining and inspiring young minds to garner an appreciation for the joy and peace that can be found through the love of music.
She is a passionate music teacher with the Durham District School Board, who not only creates a safe space for children to learn about the value of music in life, but to learn about life through music.
Over her many years of teaching in high-needs schools, some parents have confessed that Paula is the reason their child is “still alive.”
Into her writing, she not only weaves her own story of battling with depression and ADD, but the many stories that come alongside the struggling children she has worked with for over thirty years.
With this compassion and drive, Paula started a performance outreach group called “The Voices of Light” over three ago. This empowerment group consists of children, aged nine to seventeen, with hearts and passion to change the world; to ignite a fervency to help save the earth, by imparting an awareness of the internal and external conflicts that children face today.
Through this awareness, “The Voices of Light” performances offer safe resolutions and alternative practices that bring strengthening to children and thus to the environment; using musicals as the outreach platform.
Paula is continually working on her series of musicals that not only focus on mental health and neurodiverse realities, but on our environment. Her goal is to eventually take these musicals on the road so that a greater mass of children and adults can be a part of this unique learning experience.
CAMH and PREVNet foundations endorse Paula's “Lucy and Maya” Musical not only as something that “needs to be seen by every child”, but as something that needs to be a “part of curriculum.”
The “Voices of Light” was founded with the intention to, by way of music and narrative, bring awareness and healing to Neurodivergent children and adults who are coping with mental health challenges and support those who live or work with these individuals.
Paula is a mother, writer, teacher, composer, arranger, and singer whose enchantingly beautiful voice embraces the essence of life. Her music is the embodiment of love, positivity reflecting her purpose, all while helping others heal as she has done.
Saoirse
Autistic multiply disabled, multimodal AAC user. I’m learning Irish, I’m pagan I like wolves, dogs cats and bats. Pronouns: they/she/them/her
Blog
https://autisticaacunderground.blogspot.com/
Scottish Ethnic Minority Autistics, Co-founder
Laura Bilton
Laura Bilton is an anti-racism activist with experience in Violence against Women and Girls, Disability and Youth Work. With heritage from Kenya and Scotland, Laura has been active against racism for more than 25 years in the media of dance, music, poetry and community organising. A mother of two and Union Equality rep, Laura is one of the founding members of Black Lives Matter Scotland. Laura has worked with disabled people for 9 years, and it was through this work that led to her own autism and ADHD diagnoses at the age of 39.
Dr. Rebecca Wood, Autistic School Staff Project
Dr. Rebecca Wood is Senior Lecturer in Special Education at the University of East London
Jeanne Clifton
Jeanne Clifton is an autistic educator with over a decade of teaching experience ranging from high school to university, with master's degrees in both teaching and English. She runs professional development trainings and the Actually Autistic Educator podcast where she combines academic research with autistic interviews to educate non-autistic professionals in education, healthcare, mental health, and other fields in how to better understand, appreciate, and support autistic coworkers, students, clients, and patients, as well as supporting fellow autistics in learning more about our shared experiences and strengths.
Jeanne has a mix of physical disabilities caused by a genetic condition and is a part-time mobility aid user. She loves historic textile research, a wide array of fiber arts and other crafts, and gardening.
Podcast: https://anchor.fm/jeanne-clifton
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ActuallyAutisticEducator
Twitter: @ActuallyAutist9
Jude Morrow
Jude Morrow
Jude Morrow is an autistic best-selling author, entrepreneur, philanthropist and keynote speaker from Derry, Northern Ireland. Jude travels the world to showcase through his talks that autistic children can grow up to live happy and successful lives. Jude's books are published by Beyond Words, publisher of The Secret. Jude is the founder of Neurodiversity Training International, the world's premier autistic-led training and consultancy firm to global non-profits and Fortune 500 companies . Jude is also a 2 time TedX speaker and nurtures parents, teachers and professionals to develop a kinder mindset toward autistic people young and old.
Marion McLaughlin
Marion McLaughlin
Marion McLaughlin is the CEO of Autism Understanding Scotland. As well as overseeing the day to day running of AUScot, and writing and delivering training, she also works closely with both local and national government advising on autism policy.
Marion founded and organises Autistic Pride Aberdeen and is a spokesperson for the Scottish Government’s Understanding Autism campaign. She first became interested in autism while training to be a teacher in 2004 and was diagnosed autistic herself in 2018. She has had a varied employment background with roles including Primary Teacher, Road Safety Officer, Library and Information Assistant, and stable hand.
When not working, she can often be found watching Star Trek or walking through forests with her family.
Kieran Rose , The Autistic Advocate AND Aucademy!
Sincerest and Endless Thanks to the NINE and our incredible Summit Committee and Affiliate Members:
Jaclyn Ashton, Sofia Akbar, Matty Lacey, Maxine Power, Natasha McGhee, Paula Walker, Lisa, Natalie, Stephanie, Erica Glover, Aiden Lee and the many who have contributed so much to our ongoing learning, reflection and discovery of and within this amazing Neurodivergent Community! Thank you for helping to change the world with us!
Karen Timm,
Founder, Neurodivergent Infinity Network of Educators (@NINE_On_Can)
Karen Timm, @NeurodiversityInPrincipal
A long time passionate proponent of the Neurodiversity movement, and one who is committed to dismantling systemic oppression of all kinds, Karen is a perpetually reflective educational leader who embeds her specialization in social justice, equity and Human Rights into all she does with students, families and staff.
As a local trailblazer relentlessly championing the Neurodiversity paradigm, Karen has actively established many valuable community partnerships throughout her career in education in order to co-lead change in her school communities, while always placing a high value on continual critical consciousness building, and co-learning alongside all stakeholders. Karen always seeks new ways to ensure everyone can feel safe, valued and understood, while also achieving success in their individual ways. Karen believes strongly that education truly has the power to change the world, if only those who hold the most power and privilege take an active part in earning the title of ally by listening to, learning from and taking action to support those who have historically been most marginalized.
After many years of spearheading the local ADHD Summits and Neurodiversity Expos, and developing and leading professional development, all the while engaged in a very active career as a school administrator, Karen was driven to formally establishing the Neurodivergent Infinity Network of Educators when, for the first time in over 25 years as an educator, she was fortunate enough to meet two other local Autistic educators, each who had begun their careers feeling isolated, and without a community who would understand and embrace their authentic selves. From those chance encounters, the benefits of finding each other became obvious and essential, and so the NINE was born!
Karen is a multiply Neurodivergent educator, leader, advocate, critical friend, consultant, author, viola-player, singer, artist, animal lover, nature lover, water baby, and stim-dancer, but most importantly, a proud Mum to an AUsome detail-oriented, super talented and creative human.
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