(RE)FRAMED with Reframing Autism

In this wonderful chat with Jasmine Deakin we talk about sensory joy, toe walking and how a wonderful chance meeting led to the co-creation of Sunny Spectrum! We also deep dive into the powerful intersection of lived experience and professional practice! We learnt so much from Jasmine in this FINAL episode- listen now! Jasmine is an accomplished Lead Social Worker and Co-Founder of Sunny Spectrum Supports who has a background employment, support coordination and counselling for neurodivergent individuals. Through her expert guidance and holistic insights, she empowers her clients to gain a deeper understanding of their unique neurological differences, paving the way for better outcomes.

In our FINAL (RE)FRAMED Review episode with Marshall, we do our Show Review on the recent iteration of She-Ra: Princess of Power! Marshall is a neuroqueer, disabled person. Hie is an artist, as well as a cosplayer in hiz spare time – the spare time that isn’t spent consuming pop culture movies, shows and comics. Hie is an avid toy collector, especially of doll lines from hiz youth. Marshall is a regular guest for our (RE)Framed Review bonus episodes, looking at Autistic characters in shows like Monster High!

In this (RE)FRAMED Review episode with Tara we review the comic book anthology ‘Sensory Life On The Spectrum’ by a collective of wonderful Autistic writers and artists! Tara (they/she) is a non-binary, queer, Autistic ADHDer. They have a special interest in disability advocacy and neurodiversity and spend as much time as they can engrossed in the newest books, essays and comics by neurodivergent authors and illustrators and sharing these resources within their communities. They love to collect thrifted glass pieces and have a passion for film and television, particularly horror and animation, and will be a regular guest for our (RE)Framed Review bonus episode book reports!

In our second (RE)FRAMED Review episode with Marshall, we do our Show Review of the Addams Family and the recent iteration, Wednesday! Marshall is a neuroqueer, disabled person. Hie is an artist, as well as a cosplayer in hiz spare time – the spare time that isn’t spent consuming pop culture movies, shows and comics. Hie is an avid toy collector, especially of doll lines from hiz youth. Marshall is a regular guest for our (RE)Framed Review bonus episodes, looking at Autistic characters in shows like Monster High!

In our second (RE)FRAMED Review episode we review the book ‘Unmasking Autism’ by Dr. Devon Price.  Tara (they/she) is a non-binary, queer, Autistic ADHDer. They have a special interest in disability advocacy and neurodiversity and spend as much time as they can engrossed in the newest books, essays and comics by neurodivergent authors and illustrators and sharing these resources within their communities. They love to collect thrifted glass pieces and have a passion for film and television, particularly horror and animation, and will be a regular guest for our (RE)Framed Review bonus episode book reports!

In our very first (RE)FRAMED Review we chatted with regular guest Marshall for a Show Review of Monster High and its Autistic character- Twyla! Marshall is a neuroqueer, disabled person. Hie is an artist, as well as a cosplayer in hiz spare time – the spare time that isn’t spent consuming pop culture movies, shows and comics. Hie is an avid toy collector, especially of doll lines from hiz youth. Marshall is a regular guest for our (RE)Framed Review bonus episodes, looking at Autistic characters in shows like Monster High and She-Ra!

In this rich conversation with Robert Charlotte Maxwell, Robert shares their experiences of growing up in Sydney’s Newtown in the 80s-90s, of always feeling like an alien but never an outsider in this diverse and once inclusive part of the world! We talk about the importance of Autistic identity and how that intersects with gender, and joyfully, we chat a bit about 1950’s brutalist architecture, a particular passion for Robert!  Robert is a nonbinary multimedia artist and archaeologist. Having always felt different in terms of their gender and neurology, Rob received an adult diagnosis of Autism in August of 2021. They made history as the first archaeologist to conduct field work in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone in 2010 and in Fukushima in 2016, which led to them becoming the first Urban Explorer to be admitted as a Fellow International of The Explorers Club since its inception in 1909. Despite being diagnosed with PTSD after a plane accident in 2010, Robert continued to push boundaries in both art and cultural studies, and went on to hold their first solo art exhibition in 2019. Since then, their work has been exhibited in Australia and overseas, across a range of media including painting, installation, sound and photography. In June 2023, Robert will complete their decade-long PhD in contemporary archaeology, which is a global survey of the archaeology of abandonment relating to the 20th and 21st centuries. As D E A T H O F T H E A U T H O R, they released their first EP, 'Traces' in 2023.

Our conversation with Aether and Anthea deep dives into the complexities, joys and challenges of a multiply neurodivergent home life. And, we chat about what it was like being a part of the documentary film ‘Who I Am’ which is currently available to stream on 10Play! Who I Am is a heartfelt coming-of-age documentary following a transgender and Autistic teen, Aether, as he learns to be himself. Who I am was directed by Naomi Ball – you can find out more about the film at whoiamfilm.com. Aether - He/They Aether is many things – an artist, a writer, a caring older sibling, child and grandchild, a secondary school student, an activist. He is trans, Autistic and has ADHD. As an artist, their first inspiration for art stemmed from their love of My Little Pony, which then flowed into anthropomorphic animals. He is inspired by artists online such as Katzun, Foxi Boxi, Jaiden Animations, ActuallyRea and more. He is also an advocate for trans and Autistic people and has spoken on a panel about the intersection of trans and Autistic identities for Different Journeys - an Autistic peer support group, and helped start an LGBTQIA+ group for non-profit Young Carers. They are the hero of the documentary film WHO I AM and believe in sharing their own story to help other young people like himself. Anthea - She/Her Anthea is an Autistic woman and a mother to three Autistic children. She was diagnosed Autistic later in life, after her children were. She also has chronic pain and migraine. Anthea is passionate about building an understanding of what it’s like navigating the world with an invisible disability like autism or fibromyalgia. She is an avid writer and has had her work published on ABC News and Amaze. She sits on the Merri Health Consumer Advisory Committee and represented them at the recent Community Health First campaign at Victorian parliament and appeared in their Carer YouTube series to promote their carer supports. She is an AutismCRC Future Leaders Alumni, has started her own support group for Autistic adults and runs an informative, neuro-affirming Facebook page to inform others

In this wonderful chat with Tammie Sinclair we talk about Fall Out Boy, albums on repeat and the challenges of high school! We talk about the difficulties of finding your way through workplace culture and how sadly, luck can play a huge part in our success or challenges – Tammie delves into the importance of making meaningful changes in workplace culture and inclusion so there is more than just luck on our side! Tammie is a dynamic business owner, elected local government Councillor, and self-published children's author. She brings a wealth of experience in management to all her endeavors and is passionate about fostering inclusivity and accessibility for her fellow Autistic community members.

Our conversation with Chenai Mupotsa-Russell was a complete joy! Full of rich insights gained through lived experience meeting professional practice in the allied health space. We dive into intersectionality and challenges faced in a higher education setting.  And, we talk a lot about rainbows!! Chenai is the founder and co-director of Rainbow Muse, a clinic based in Naarm (Melbourne) that offers neuroaffirming art therapy, psychology, child-centered play therapy, animal-assisted therapy and yoga in an inclusive environment that celebrates diversity. Through her work, Chenai works within an intersectional framework, with a social justice lens and she is currently studying her PhD.

In this wonderful chat with poet and gardener Em Koenig, we discuss the diagnostic journey as someone late-identified Autistic, working to put in safe boundaries post-identification and learning the importance of sometimes, saying no! Em is a gardener, dog dad, plant enthusiast, sometimes artist and PhD graduate who lives and works on Kaurna Country. He is the author of 2 collections of poetry: ‘Lightly on the Skin’ and ‘Breathing plural’ which won the 2020 Mary Gilmore Prize.  After 9 years spent obtaining a PhD in poetry from the University of Adelaide, Em turned his other main passion into profit by starting his own gardening business which is now thriving.  Em was diagnosed with autism in March 2022 and is still in the process of fighting imposter syndrome and figuring out exactly what that diagnosis means for him!

It was a joy to speak with Kay Kerr about all things Love & Autism. In this rich conversation with Kay, we talk about her experiences with diagnosis, masking and taking care of our sensory needs – which, for Kay, included a ‘tree-change’ and meaningful moments in her garden. We also have a wonderful chat about her recently released book ‘Love & Autism’! Kay is an Autistic author and journalist from the Sunshine Coast, Queensland. Her latest book, ‘Love & Autism’, is out now. It is a narrative nonfiction, celebrating neurodivergent life and love. Her first two novels are for Young Adult readers: ‘Please Don’t Hug Me’ and ‘Social Queue’. They have been long and shortlisted for awards including the Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIA), the Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) and the Queensland Literary Awards. Kay’s freelance writing has appeared in The Guardian, SBS Voices, Daily Life, Broadsheet, and Peppermint Magazine. She writes about autistic representation, disability, parenting, pop culture, gardening, and feelings.

In this wonderful conversation with J. Rosenbaum, we talk about music conducting, sensory joy, gender and how that intersects with Autistic masking along with a fun dive into all things AI and gender bias! J. is an artist exploring the boundaries of technology and art. Their most recent works examine the nature of non-binary transness and their own gender and sexuality. They create technologically based art using physics-based rendering, Deep Neural Networks and Augmented Reality. J has recently completed a PhD at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology exploring AI perceptions of Gender.

In this very first episode of (RE)FRAMED we were so privileged to speak with Hannah Solomons.  This conversation takes us to many places, including chats about former Australian prime ministers and Disability Theology. Hannah also discusses valid anger and how she works to transform that into positive action and disability pride! Hannah was diagnosed with Autism at eleven, lives with epilepsy and has lived experience with mental health challenges. She is currently completing her PhD in disability and the law at the University of Technology, Sydney. She is active in the disability and autism communities and runs Disability Pride Sydney, and the Sydney Epilepsy Jacaranda Club, along with being on the ABC show ‘You Can't Ask That - Autism’.

Welcome to (RE)FRAMED the official podcast from Reframing Autism! We are so excited to launch (RE)FRAMED in mid-2023 as our second podcast iteration! Reframing Autism is an Australian, Autistic-led charity which provides educational resources and opportunities to the Autistic and autism communities, and amplifies diverse Autistic voices across our platforms. Through our podcast we hope to center our Autistic stories, share our knowledge and contribute to conversations impacting us, our community and our children. In our own words, we are framing, and re-framing, our stories!