Only one per cent of autism research funding is put towards improving the lives of adults living with autism, and instead most research seems largely focused on finding a ‘cure’. Meanwhile, adults living with autism contribute to the world daily, in science, art, entertainment, and more.

In conjunction with Kate Fox’s Bigger on the Inside performance, this panel brings neurodiverse and neurotypical experts together to look at the case for neurodiversity, discussing different ways of thinking about, experiencing, and interacting with the world.

Poet and comedian Kate Fox will be in conversation with autism advocate James Sinclair and author Amy Arnold.

About The Host

Peg Alexander

Peg Alexander is a double award-nominated TV and radio presenter, event host, speaker and occasional writer. She came to broadcasting after over 20 years in campaigning, public policy, charities and regeneration, with a short spell in national politics.

About The Speakers

James Sinclair

James Sinclair is the founder, writer of Autistic & Unapologetic: an autism site dedicated to ‘finding the positive in every diagnosis’ through discussions of autistic portrayals in media, bitesize breakdowns of autism acadamia and monthly roundups of all the highlights from in and around the autistic community.

Headshot of author Kate Fox

Kate Fox

Kate Fox is a stand-up poet and has performed everywhere from the Glastonbury Festival to Radio 4. Kate has been a radio journalist, a Victoria Wood tribute act (called Victoria Wouldn’t) and newspaper columnist and does really hold a PHD in Northerness. As well as her poetry and touring, Kate writes and campaigns about neurodiversity. She lives in Whitley Bay and is the author of Where There’s Muck, There’s Bras: The Lost Stories of The Amazing Women of the North, out now from HarperNorth.

Amy Arnold

Amy Arnold was born in Oxford. She studied Neuropsychology at Birmingham University and has worked in a variety of jobs including teaching and lecturing. In 2018 she was awarded New Writing North’s inaugural Northern Book Prize for her debut novel Slip of a Fish. She lives in Cumbria.