79. S6, Ep12: Safety, success and shaping neurodivergent stories: reflections on intersectional autism

Diane J Wright is an autistic advocate and the founder of Autastic, an online community that aims to help late diagnosed autistic adults, particularly those from minority communities, and is the only resource of its size founded by a woman of colour.  Diane was diagnosed autistic in her early 40s. Her career has been in the entertainment industry, and she now provides diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility consultation to film and television producers and writers, focusing on neurodivergence and communities of colour, drawing on her lived experience as an Afro-Caribbean, biracial, invisibly disabled Canadian-American. In our conversation we talk about: ➡ Picking apart the complexities of childhood trauma and autism ➡ Her work shaping how neurodivergent stories are told in film and TV ➡ The experiences and challenges of autistic people of colour, and why there aren't more Black autistic advocates ➡ The experiences and needs of older late diagnosed autistic people ➡ The role masking plays in success, and the importance of reframing what it means to  be successful. Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes. I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences. I'm Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I'm now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn't quite fit.   EPISODE LINKS: https://autastic.com  https://twitter.com/WeAreAutastic  https://instagram.com/WeAreAutastic https://facebook.com/WeAreAutastic  If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/  Or on my website: https://squarepeg.community/    THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS! A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast: Abi Hunter, Amy Adler, Amy-Beth Mellor, Abigail J Moore, Ben Davies, Benita Borchard-Thierbach, Caroline, Cat Preston, Catrin Green, Cindy Bailey, Corinne Cariad, Danielle Warby, Dawn Trevellion, Emily, Elizabeth Williams, Gwyneth, Jackie Allen, Jeff Goldman, Jen Bartlett, Kate Faust, Katharine Richards, Katherine Lynch, Kenneth Knowles, Laura Battley, Lea Li, Leo Ricketts, Lilli Simmons, Lyb, Mandy Allen, Pete Burke, Rebecca Kemp, Sarah Cottrell, Sarah Jeffery, Sarah Ivinson, Sarah Swanton, Sioned Wynn, Suzanna Chen, Suzanne, Tree Hall, Una Walkenhorst, Vera Cady, Vicki Temple, Victoria Routledge and Zephyrine Craster. If you're enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from just £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast