http://linktr.ee/autisticality
Autistic advocate, author and content creator
Ben Usher-Barrass is a 20-something Autistic, ADHD and situationally non-speaking administrative manager of Aucademy CIC. Initially meeting Dr Chloe Farahar at the University of Kent whilst partaking in their So You’re Autistic? programme whilst a student at the university, Ben joined Chloe at Aucademy as a behind-the-scenes admin, supporting the weekly livestreams, facilitating the social groups and joining Chloe and other Aucademy members in various projects.
Being diagnosed as Autistic at 17, turning 18, Ben lacked the knowledge of what being Autistic meant and it wasn’t until joining Aucademy and being fully immersed in the Autistic community that his understanding grew. To the extent that in 2022 Ben started his own advocacy platform online called Autisticality, in which he would create infographic slides of all sorts of topics relating to the Autistic experience and neurodiversity.
Since then Ben has published two books – the first being A Guide To Autistic Experience, a collection of all his infographics in a handy book to act as a tool for anyone wanting to learn about what being Autistic is all about. The second is a children’s picture book called The Silently Speaking Spud, a story about a non-speaking potato teaching an important lesson on how mouth words are not the only valuable form of communication.
With the support and facilitation from Chloe and Jessica at Aucademy, Ben has been able to deliver several presentations across the last few years, both online and recently in person for the first time at a conference held by the Autism Education Trust, where he delivered a pre-recorded video presentation on situational mutism – something Ben experiences on a daily basis and advocates about due to the lack of awareness, understanding, and kindness regarding the anxiety-based mutism that often causes Ben to be non-speaking.
