An #Autscape2025 highlight:

On Wednesday 6th August 2025 Laurentius Rex will be presenting his talk entitled “Lost in Space”.

“An audio visual presentation of natural spaces where one can escape and refresh, relates to "mindfulness" "forest bathing" and similar concepts. These are not spaces designed for autistic people but one makes them so with ones presence, and the absence of the environmental and social stressors of work, school, or home. The sounds and pictures of nature, with practical advice how to access them.”

Autscape is an autistic-led, autistic-run residential event running from 4th to 7th August 2025 at The Hayes Conference Centre in Derbyshire.

Registration is open until May 31st: https://www.autscape.org/2025/registration/
List of presentations: https://www.autscape.org/2025/programme/presentations
Provisional schedule: https://www.autscape.org/2025/programme/schedule

Please help #Autscape by sharing this widely.

An #Autscape2025 highlight:

On Tuesday 5th August 2025 Leneh Buckle will be presenting her talk entitled “Evolution of Autscape”.

“On the 20th anniversary of the first Autscape, this presentation takes a look at where it all started and key moments in its evolution to the autistic space we enjoy today.”

Autscape is an autistic-led, autistic-run residential event running from 4th to 7th August 2025 at The Hayes Conference Centre in Derbyshire.

Registration is open until May 31st: https://www.autscape.org/2025/registration/
List of presentations: https://www.autscape.org/2025/programme/presentations
Provisional schedule: https://www.autscape.org/2025/programme/schedule

Please help #Autscape by sharing this widely.

An #Autscape2025 highlight:

On Wednesday 6th August 2025 Zuzanna Makowska will be presenting her talk entitled “Inner Autistic Space – Making Room for Feeling”.

“As autistic people, we often focus on fascinating objects, activities, and knowledge. But are we as interesting to ourselves if we aren’t our own passion? What about feeling ourselves?
Many autistic individuals struggle with sensing their bodies, states of mind, or emotions for various reasons, many of which are linked to living as a minority.
This lecture will provide insight into why we may have difficulties with feeling, why it may be important and useful, and what we can do to improve it in order to keep ourselves healthy and happier in our own, inner autistic spaces. Additionally, we’ll explore what we can teach our autistic children to help raise them into healthy, self-aware autistic adults.”

Autscape is an autistic-led, autistic-run residential event running from 4th to 7th August 2025 at The Hayes Conference Centre in Derbyshire.

Registration is open until May 31st: https://www.autscape.org/2025/registration/
List of presentations: https://www.autscape.org/2025/programme/presentations
Provisional schedule: https://www.autscape.org/2025/programme/schedule

Please help #Autscape by sharing this widely.

An #Autscape2025 highlight:

On Tuesday 5th August 2025 Janine Booth will be presenting her talk entitled “Building Autistic Space in and through Trade Unions”.

“An illustrated talk covering:

- issues for autistic people at work, including lack of autistic space

- trade unions: what they are, what they do, their strengths and limitations, how they can help to create autistic space at work

- progress in trade unions becoming more inclusive of autistic workers

- autistic workers in trade union disabled members' structures

- autistic workers' experiences of trade union involvement

- how autistic workers can create autistic space in and through trade unions

- questions and answers, continuing in the associated discussion session.

The talk will draw on the presenter's extensive experience, and will also use accounts from autistic workers, information about workers' rights, and explanations of how trade unions work - including that any adult can join a union.”

Autscape is an autistic-led, autistic-run residential event running from 4th to 7th August 2025 at The Hayes Conference Centre in Derbyshire.

Registration is open until May 31st: https://www.autscape.org/2025/registration/
List of presentations: https://www.autscape.org/2025/programme/presentations
Provisional schedule: https://www.autscape.org/2025/programme/schedule

Please help #Autscape by sharing this widely.

An #Autscape2025 highlight:

On Tuesday 5th August 2025 Caroline Hearst will be running a workshop entitled “The relationship between double empathy and mentalising”.

“This workshop will examine the idea of the double empathy problem as posited by Damian Milton and will look at factors affecting communication between different neurotypes.
I believe the differences in the methodology we use to understand others (often called mentalising or theory of mind, but which I refer to as intuition of others thoughts) explains some inter neurotype communication difficulties.
The presentation will include an experiential excercise and discussion.”

Autscape is an autistic-led, autistic-run residential event running from 4th to 7th August 2025 at The Hayes Conference Centre in Derbyshire.

Registration is open until May 31st: https://www.autscape.org/2025/registration/
List of presentations: https://www.autscape.org/2025/programme/presentations
Provisional schedule: https://www.autscape.org/2025/programme/schedule

Please help #Autscape by sharing this widely.

An #Autscape2025 highlight:

On Tuesday 6th August 2025 Laura Buckland Mason will be running a workshop entitled “A Little Piece Of Autistic Space: An Art Workshop & (Optional) Postcard Swap”.

“Join Laura to create your own little piece of autistic space, in the form of a handmade art postcard, to swap with others or to take home with you.
In this guided workshop we will discuss why autistic space is important to us, then use pens, coloured pencils and simple collage materials to create postcard-sized artworks inspired by our thoughts, feelings and experiences of autistic space.
Participants will then have the opportunity to take part in an art swap, or can choose to take their own postcard(s) home with them.
No previous art experience is required, and materials will be provided. All ages welcome.”

Autscape is an autistic-led, autistic-run residential event running from 4th to 7th August 2025 at The Hayes Conference Centre in Derbyshire.

Registration is open until May 31st: https://www.autscape.org/2025/registration/
List of presentations: https://www.autscape.org/2025/programme/presentations
Provisional schedule: https://www.autscape.org/2025/programme/schedule

Please help #Autscape by sharing this widely.

An #Autscape2025 highlight:

On Wednesday 6th August 2025 Angela Kingdon from the Autistic Culture Podcast will be running a workshop entitled “Building Autistic-First Spaces Through Podcasting”.

“Autistic people are often expected to adapt to neurotypical spaces—but what happens when we create our own? This session explores Autistic-first spaces, focusing on how Autistic-led podcasts provide an evolving space for authentic communication, connection, and cultural expression.

Using The Autistic Culture Podcast and the Neurodivergent Podcaster Collective as examples, we will examine how podcasts enable deep dives into special interests, allow for asynchronous, sensory-friendly communication, offer a platform for Autistic-led storytelling, and build autistic community outside of NT-dominated spaces.

In this hands-on workshop, participants will gain practical insights about how podcasts function as autistic-first spaces and they will have the opportunity to design their own Autistic-first podcast concepts to experience the difference. Together, we’ll select one standout idea, and I’ll work with the creators to produce a pilot episode, bringing an Autistic-first podcast to life beyond Autscape.”

Autscape is an autistic-led, autistic-run residential event running from 4th to 7th August 2025 at The Hayes Conference Centre in Derbyshire.

Registration is open until May 31st: https://www.autscape.org/2025/registration/
List of presentations: https://www.autscape.org/2025/programme/presentations
Provisional schedule: https://www.autscape.org/2025/programme/schedule

Please help #Autscape by sharing this widely.

An #Autscape2025 highlight:

On Tuesday 5th August 2025 Kim Mears will be presenting her talk entitled “Multi-Modal Communication Spaces”.

“Multi-modal communication is using a range of different ways to get your message across including sign, symbols and text to speech, also known as alternative and augmentative communication (AAC).

For a long time, AAC has been dominated by a single behavioural approach often as a last resort for autistic nonspeaking children. Over recent years, lived experience researchers such as endever* corbin and Alyssa Zisk have highlighted the need for communication options for all autistic people including individuals who have periods when they don’t have access to mouth words.

This talk will discuss the benefits of increased knowledge of different ways of communicating and communication identities, such as part-time AAC user and semi-speaking, explore the potential challenges of an exclusionary society that privileges speech and perpetuates stigma and discuss possible ways to advocate for inclusive, autonomous communication spaces.”

Autscape is an autistic-led, autistic-run residential event running from 4th to 7th August 2025 at The Hayes Conference Centre in Derbyshire.

Registration is open until May 31st: https://www.autscape.org/2025/registration/
List of presentations: https://www.autscape.org/2025/programme/presentations
Provisional schedule: https://www.autscape.org/2025/programme/schedule

Please help #Autscape by sharing this widely.

The main programme schedule for #Autscape2025 is now available!
https://www.autscape.org/2025/programme/schedule

Registration is open until 31st May. Come and join us in autistic space for three days and experience what it is like when being autistic is the norm! En-suite room, all meals, and tea & coffee are included in the price. https://www.autscape.org/2025/registration/

Note: Autscape is non-profit. All money goes to the venue and the programme and none of us are getting paid. Even the organisers pay to attend, so that we can keep the price as low as possible.

(Image used by permission of everyone pictured.)

#CallForProposals

We are now accepting proposals to the main conference programme for Autscape 2025: “Evolving Autistic Space”, held Mon 4th – Thu 7th Aug 2025 at The Hayes, Swanwick, Derbyshire, UK.

Read the Call for Proposals at:
https://www.autscape.org/2025/proposals/cfp

Submission deadline: Monday 31st March. Presenters will be required to attend in person.

#Autscape #Autscape2025 #ActuallyAutistic #AutisticSpace #autism #autistic #neurodiversity #neurodivergence

#Autscape (the European “#autistic conference” in the UK) now has this brand new account on the Fediverse (Mastodon). Please spread the word!

We also have some dates to announce (more info will be announced here and on www.autscape.org when available). Please reserve in your calendars:

#OnlineAutscape2025 “More Autistic Joy”:
7th-9th Feb 2025, Zoom + Discord

In-person #Autscape2025 “Evolving Autistic Space”:
4th-7th Aug 2025 @ The Hayes, Derbyshire

#ActuallyAutistic #neurodiversity