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Sarai Pahla

Sarai Pahla MD is an ‘Actually Autistic’ medical translator who speaks 4 languages. She was born in Zimbabwe, grew up in South Africa and currently lives in Germany. She qualified as a medical doctor in 2005, later sought new challenges in IT consulting and finally followed her passion for languages by moving to Germany in 2013 to become a freelance medical translator. Sarai received her diagnosis of autism in adulthood and since then tries to educate people on experiences of being an autistic woman. She even delivered a TEDxMunster talk in 2017

Mala Thapar

Mala Thapar is a Mum for her disabled 16-year-old son with autism who loves to study and is passionate about a career in Media. They love to watch cooking shows and during lockdown have been enjoying experimenting with new recipes. Mala is all about equality and has previously observed inequalities faced by Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) people. She would like to see immediate change to tackle the systematic disadvantage facing disabled people from BAME communities and is looking forward to discussing her own past experiences of discrimination.

Savan Gandecha

Savan Gandecha is a British Asian autistic content creator and across-the-board creative who speaks about his experiences with being autistic on his personal YouTube channel 'SavanFilms'. Besides YouTube, he enjoys blogging, photography, Pokémon and all other things Japanese. In the past, Savan has worked as a content creator for the National Autistic Society to raise awareness about autism. He is passionate about discussing why we need a more diverse representation of autistic people in popular culture and the media.

 Mair Elliot

Mair is a Welsh autistic activist with lived experience of the psychiatric system. She hopes to break down misconceptions, stereotypes and stigma relating to autism, mental health difficulties and trauma, and to create a future where support services are fit for purpose. Mair has her own book coming out in 2021, consisting of essays from autistic people, and a small number of carers, detailing their own experiences of mental health and autism.

James Cusak 

James became the first openly autistic chief executive of a major UK charity when he was appointed to the role at UK autism research charity Autistica in August 2020. Prior to becoming its Chief Executive, since 2015 James was Autistica’s Director of Science. During this time, he has been at the heart of the charity’s growth and impact, including devising and overseeing its national research network; identifying, supporting and funding high-impact scientific studies; making Autistica a global leader in authentic community involvement and making health inequalities a priority for the charity, its beneficiaries and governments around the world. He has a global reputation and network within autism and beyond and deeply understands both the world of science and the world of autism.

James has a degree in psychology, a PhD and undertook post-doctoral research before joining Autistica and being recognised as a rising star by the Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations (ACEVO) and named by the Shaw Trust 100 – a list of the most influential disabled in the UK. Throughout his career as a researcher and with Autistica, James has championed the needs and rights of all autistic people and their family members. 

Desi Jones

Desi is a 3rd year PhD student researching social cognition and the factors that contribute to poor social outcomes for autistic adults. She is passionate about issues relating to diversity and inclusion, having authored multiple publications about bias and acceptance in autism research. Desi also has ADHD and is a proud supporter of the neurodiversity movement. 

Caroline Richards

Dr Caroline Richards is a Clinical Psychologist and Senior Lecturer at the University of Birmingham. Her research focuses on reducing negative clinical outcomes in children with neurodevelopmental conditions, including autism, with a particular emphasis on sleep and behaviour. Caroline is also one of the leads for the Cerebra Network for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, which aims to improve the lives of individuals with severe and complex needs through research. Most importantly, Caroline is older sister to her brother who is autistic and has a severe intellectual disability – they share a deep love of good food and dancing to classic Motown and soul hits!

Reubs J Walsh

Reubs J Walsh is a PhD candidate at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam where she studies socio-cognitive development and social identity and how these differ in autistic and transgender people. Reubs is also a trustee for the Gender Identity Research and Education Society organisation and a co-founder of the Transgender Professional Association for Transgender Health (TPATH).