Despite strong numbers of autistic students attending higher education, and Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) drives within academia to increase the number of disabled graduates undertaking further study, autistic postgraduate students are defined as having poorer outcomes than autistic people without degrees. This book will consider the unseen challenges autistic women in postgraduate education may experience, with the aim to raise awareness and help to reduce this discrepancy. Combining a holistic view of up-to-date literature with personal experience, the author will discuss some of the stereotypical beliefs that surround autism, highlighting stigma but also dispelling misconceptions, and will explore how these experiences may be transferrable to other disabled and minority students.
PrefaceForeword by Dr Amy Pearson1. Introduction2. Autism in women3. The challenges of working whilst studying4. Being an autistic autism researcher5. Navigating conferences6. The sensory environment of the university7. Learning differently8. Autistic advocacy9. ConclusionReferences
Dr Sophie Phillips is a research associate at the University of Sheffield, working on a project investigating anti-ableist research cultures funded by the Wellcome Trust. Her research interests centre around increasing access to higher education for autistic women and more broadly neurodivergent individuals, following her own diagnosis as a young adult. Sophie is involved with the Nottinghamshire Autism Police Partnership, based at the University of Nottingham, with the aim of changing the way in which neurodivergent people are treated within the police system.
