While growing up as a child on the autism spectrum, education continually changed my life. The knowledge that I gained during my studies and my experiences as a neurodiverse PhD student at university helps me daily with reference to the different roles I play in society as a specialist teacher and autism self-advocate, and in my role as president of different organisations for disabled people. My roles and responsibilities in these organisations are intertwined and emphasise the lack of research on the experiences of neurodiverse students available in the Global South.

There is a dire need for investment is research into ASD, especially for research on university students’ experiences. Currently most of the specialist articles depicting the daily experiences of students with disabilities are published in the United States, Great Britain and Sweden, which are all in the Global North. Little is known about the challenges faced by, and support services available to neurodiverse students in African, South American and Asian countries. I therefore feel that I have a responsibility to try to illuminate these barriers one step at a time.

Locally, I have been on the board of Autism South Africa (Vice-Chairman) for the past five years. Internationally, serving on the Commonwealth Disabled Peoples’ Forum, I represent disabled people from 53 different countries. This position also requires me to attend higher political meetings (United Nations and Commonwealth related) and to regularly communicate with heads of state regarding the inclusion of the rights of disabled people in their constitutions. I am also the first and only elected member from the continent of Africa on the Autistic Researchers Committee of the International Society for Autism Research (INSAR).

For the past three years, I have served on the board of directors of the International Council for Development and Learning (ICDL), an American organisation, where I am the fourth elected President. ICDL has grown from being a small interdisciplinary council of professionals based in the United States to a vast international council of professionals and parents. This organisation, which was started 33 years ago by ICDL’s first President, Dr Stanley Greenspan, is now reaching maturity.

Although I receive a lot of international exposure, I always remain rooted in undergraduate and postgraduate studies at the Faculty of Education. I want to thank the Department of Humanities Education for their support and, in particular, my supervisor, Prof Johan Wassermann, for his guidance and for always reminding me of the bigger purpose of my studies. At first I did not see it, but now I do!

Once I have received my PhD in April, my goal will be to change as many lives as possible by contributing to the paradigm shift we are fighting for in the field of neurodiversity.