Realising autism
“I am a 46-year-old woman and I am Autistic. I was diagnosed at the age of 39, after years of feeling confused, frustrated and alienated, because I was aware of my difference but I didn’t know how I was different. After years of misdiagnosis and a life time struggle with mental health issues, I finally had an answer, I am different, and I know why, I am autistic!”
Annette’s passion (not “special interests”!)
Annette Foster is a multidisciplinary performance and live artist, autistic self advocate and PhD researcher.
Annette’s autobiographical, multidisciplinary performance work has been informed by feminism, identity, gender, sexuality, and difference. Annette is dyslexic and dyspraxic, and was diagnosed as autistic seven years ago. This has led her to become an autistic and neurodivergent self -advocate and to undertake a funded Ph.D. at the University of Kent starting in 2016.
Annette’s Ph.D. is articulating the experiences of women’s and people with complex gender identities of being autistic through visual and performance art. Annette is currently carrying out creative workshops with other women, non-binary and trans people on the spectrum, which look at expressing their experience in sensorial forms other than language using visual and performance art.
Annette’s ambition is to collaboratively explore creative autistic self-advocacy by producing art with the workshop participants that aims to dispel stereotypes, in order to make autistic women, non-binary and trans people more visible.
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