Better than 52: Autism Symposium
We are proud to be partnering with New College Lanarkshire for the Better Than 52: Autism Symposium to explore the experiences, aspirations and opportunities of Scotland’s autistic community.
This event will bring together autistic people, families, professionals and organisations to share lived experience, expert insight and interactive workshops. The symposium will explore how we can drive positive change across education, employment, health and justice.
Scottish Autism colleagues will be speaking and leading workshops throughout the day, sharing their expertise to help encourage understanding and inclusion across communities.
Learn more and register by clicking the link.
Register for your free placeMain stage speakers
Dr Aimee Fletcher
Dr Aimee Fletcher is the Participation Coordinator at Scottish Autism. As an openly autistic woman diagnosed during childhood, Aimee has dedicated much of her career, education and personal life to advocating for autistic people to be able to have their voices heard and to live their best lives in a world not built with neurodivergence in mind. Aimee has a PhD from the University of Glasgow on making museums and cultural heritage organisations accessible for autistic and neurodivergent adults by using participatory approaches. With over a decade of experience working within autism organisations in the UK and serving on international committees such as Autism in Adulthood and the International Society of Autism Research; Aimee combines lived, professional and research experiences to advocate for societal change.
Craig Garden (Rights Respecting Language speaker)
Craig is the People & Culture Learning Assistant at Scottish Autism and a lived experience trainer, drawing on his experiences as an autistic queer person to inform and develop inclusive working practices through training and learning. He is passionate about creating inclusive workplaces where neurodivergent people and individuals experiencing disability can thrive, develop, and feel a genuine sense of belonging.
Craig’s career has spanned direct support, accessibility and learning and development.
Combining professional expertise with personal lived experience, Craig brings an authentic and practical perspective to his work, helping organisations build cultures where neurodivergent people and people experiencing disability are valued, understood, and empowered to thrive.
Jackie Cassels (Health and Wellbeing speaker)
Jackie has worked at Scottish Autism since 2020, initially as a Community Advisor on our National Advice Line before moving to our Fife One Stop Shop in 2022 and supporting autistic people and their families across Fife. With a background in education and having wider autism knowledge and experience, Jackie is passionate about supporting the autistic community and focusing on supporting adult and young people’s mental health and wellbeing.
Chloe Duncan and Gillian McConnell (Education speakers on neuro-affirming approaches to supporting autistic learners)
Chloe: An autistic professional within the sector since 2022, Chloe works across education, healthcare and the third sector to strengthen autism practice through participatory, autistic-led methods. Her work spans training, reviewing accessibility within organisational structures, pre- and post-diagnostic support for autistic adults, as well as working with autistic people of all ages to enhance wellbeing. Chloe is a passionate advocate and is committed to making autism practice more equitable by championing autistic voice and person-centred approaches.
Gillian: The Regional Manager for our West of Scotland and Orkney service. She has over 30 years of experience working with autistic people in a variety of settings, such as social care, criminal justice, and education. Prior to joining Scottish Autism, Gillian was the Course Leader for the Masters in Autism MSc and MEd programmes for 8 years at the University of Strathclyde and is a member of the Board for the Centre for Autism, Research and Education at Strathclyde University.
Workshop speakers
Zofia Bukiel: Breaking down barriers: supporting autistic people and their families in the criminal justice system
Zofia Bukiel is the Community Advice Services Manager at Scottish Autism, where she leads on a range of national and local support services, including the National Advice Line, Get Set 4 Autism, Click and Connect, Fife One Stop Shop, Flourish, and Dundee Connections. Since joining Scottish Autism in 2019, she has held a range of roles within the Community Advice Services team.
With a diverse background spanning direct practice, service development, and leadership roles within the third sector, Zofia is committed to delivering holistic person-centred services that promote autonomy, empowerment, and ensuring autistic people and their families have their voices heard, understood, and valued.
Zofia has a particular interest in improving access to support for autistic people and families experiencing additional barriers and marginalisation. As part of this work, Zofia has led the development of an innovative programme for fathers of autistic children within a variety of Scottish Prisons, which has highlighted the need for greater support for neurodivergent people and their families who encounter the Criminal Justice System.
Joanna Panese: The Employment Gap: Rethinking Approaches to Inclusive Employment
Joanna is our External Learning and Consultancy Lead and has over 15 years’ experience in the third sector, spanning direct practice, service development, and management roles. At Scottish Autism, Joanna has worked alongside autistic people in supported living and day services and has managed services that provide vocational and skills development opportunities. She has also led internal practice and service improvement and now leads Elevate training and consultancy. Joanna’s key interest lies in creating a society where autistic and other neurodivergent people can flourish.
Elevate’s sole mission is to work closely with organisations, communities and individuals, providing the knowledge, tools and confidence they need to provide more supportive practices and environments for neurodivergent people.
At Elevate we are constantly striving to inspire meaningful change that is evidence based and informed by lived experience. This ensures that every training session we deliver, every recommendation we make is grounded in genuine understanding.
Craig Garden and Aimee Fletcher: Language and Terminology
The language and terminology we use when talking about autism and neurodiversity is evolving, so it is important that we evolve too. In this workshop we will explore key language and terminology, share Scottish Autism’s new Language Guide and encourage conversations about how the adaptions we make to our language can benefit support and understanding of autistic people.
Glyn Thomson: Wellbeing Workshop
Glyn is a Community Advisor at Scottish Autism’s One Stop Shop in Fife.
This workshop is a conversation about the importance of Peer Support for autistic people, and the use of creative interests to generate connections.
The workshop will look at feedback from people who attend Peer Support Groups and use their words as a platform for creativity. What images do the words generate for you, and how can you represent that through arts and crafts? How does this create connections, and why is it so important
