Lisa Niehoff works for Mainstream Living, Inc which provides services to the disabled in Iowa. She is editor of the company’s monthly newsletter, ‘The Insider’ which profiles disabled artists. She asked if I could write a profile piece for her magazine so instead I invited her to pose me some interview questions, and rather personal they were. Here’s our interview: Read the rest of this entry »
Fiona Crosby is a second year English Literature student at Teesside University currently doing an assignment on The Representation of “disability”. She wanted to ask me questions in relation to the representation of “autistic presence†in contemporary cultural forms. This is our interview: Read the rest of this entry »
Sometimes there are things which would be funny if they weren’t so annoying. One of those is where the use of the title “Dr” is taken to mean the person is qualified as a medical doctor, as a psychologist or psychiatrist. In fact “Dr” simply means they have a ‘doctorate‘, a PhD, a piece of paper showing they have achieved the highest level of education in a given field. But that could be a doctorate, a PhD in Philosophy, Sociology, Engineering, even in Biology and they’d have no more expertise to diagnose language, psychiatric, information processing, developmental or personality disorders, than a well read garbo. Read the rest of this entry »
 The stereotype of Aspergers is of relatively emotionally unexpressive people who lack empathy and imagination. When I met Anthony, he struck me as the closest thing to a walking cartoon. He’s a formally diagnosed Aspie, a fellow ticcer, and one of the most surreal humans I know. His capacity for imagination is broader than most humans can get without psychedelic drugs. He’s also someone naturally empathic whose quick to help or lend an ear. Here’s our interview. Read the rest of this entry »
 Barrie Silberberg is author of: The Autism and ADHD Diet: A Step-by-Step Guide to Hope and Healing by Living Gluten Free and Casein Free (GFCF) and Other Interventions, to be published by Sourcebooks, Inc. April 2009. Having been one of the earliest diagnosed people with autism on a GF/CF and low Salicylate/low Phenol diet (I went on this in 1990) I invited her to send me some questions about my experiences with the diet. Here’s our interview: Read the rest of this entry »
 
 With his very first art show coming up this April 16th (opening is 1-3 Saturday April 18th 09 so hope to see you there!) I interviewed my lovely, shy techie husband, Chris, on his upcoming exhibition, “Wonderment”, at Jarmbi Gallery at Burrinja Cultural Centre in Upwey, Victoria, Australia. I asked him how his own Wonderment manifests and how he, as a techie, discovered he was also an artist. Here’s the audio interview.
Enjoy,
Warmly,
Donna Williams *)
A reader from Aspergers Parallel Planet, Alyson Bradley, sent me interview questions about the fourth book in my autobiographical series, Everyday Heaven (published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers). A brave woman indeed for she is diagnosed with Asperger’s, is Dyslexic with learning difficulties and cognitive challenges and not a big reader. Her questions are interesting. Here’s our interview. Read the rest of this entry »
Katherine Kasper is a reader on the spectrum who read the third book in my autobiographical series, Like Colour To The Blind. When she emailed me about the book I offered her the opportunity to send me 10 interview questions about it. Here’s that interview. Read the rest of this entry »
 The world of Synesthesia is broader than you think. I see musically. I process the meaning of what I hear through the kinesthetic movement of gestural signing and representational objects. I sometimes have colors and patterns trigger in my brain in response to touch. I talk of green smells, bright tastes, crunchy sounds and fluffy, scratchy and hard edged people.   Here I interview hill’s artist and singer-songwriter, Tracey Roberts, on how her own Synesthesia relates to her ARTism.
Donna Williams
http://www.donnawilliams.net
http://www.myspace.com/donnaandtheaspinauts
 Sacha Vais, editor and founder of Irked Magazine, contacted me with an exciting interview opportunity. I was to be their Melbourne correspondent covering the International Homeless World Cup which had come to Melbourne this week. Here’s the scoop.
Donna Williams is an Australian born adult with autism who was assessed as psychotic at the age of 2 in 1965, labelled disturbed in the 1970s and diagnosed as autistic in her 20s in 1991.
She acquired functional speech in late childhood and went on to become a qualified teacher with an honors degree in Sociology and a degree in Linguistics. She is the author of two international bestselling autobiographies and has 10 published books including 4 text books widely used in autism education and two books of poetry and prose.
As a screenwriter, she wrote the screenplay to “Nobody Nowhere”, the first book in her 4 book autobiographical series. That screenplay is currently under option to become a Hollywood film. She is an professional artist, singer-songwriter and published poet as well as a world renowned public speaker on autism now living with her husband in Australia. In her presentations she draws not only on her own experiences but on international experience as a professional autism consultant since 1996.
Donna’s is a speaker in demand around the world due to her unique perspective and ability to share her feelings and experiences on a very personal level. More information about her and her life’s work can be found on her website at http://www.donnawilliams.net .