Share article:
Tags:
Students at LVS Oxford were lucky enough to be visited by author and Autism advocate Joely Williams, this World Book Day. Joely is a world and nationally award-winning Autism advocate, motivational speaker, Autism trainer and author of “AspergerWorld – My Fairy Jam Jar”. She was diagnosed as Autistic at aged two and received a further diagnosis of ADHD. Her book challenges the unhelpful stereotypes and perceptions which surround Autism and details her journey to embrace her quirks and differences. Joely is inspired by a passion to spark positivity and spread understanding, into the heart of the Autistic community. Through her website, Joely describes her views on Autism as both a disability with ‘hardships’ and as a gift:
“For me, a gift can be many things – a lesson taught over time, that there is nothing wrong with being different, a final acceptance of who you are, despite a world teaching you that you should change. A gift could also be a wonderful acceptance of how to love yourself, because of your differences, your quirks, your positive attributes and gifts, your struggles and how you try your best to over come your struggles.”
During her visit, Joely ran an assembly for our students and went through inspiring life lessons, to help students feel empowered to embrace their differences. The life lessons included ‘Finding What Makes Your Soul Sing’ and ‘Autism Doesn’t Prevent Me Like Stereotypes Suggest’. Joely never shied away from the hardships she had experienced due to her diagnosis, but explained to students how learning to love herself, and the parts which made her different, helped her flourish. In her presentation she said, ‘These hardships don’t mean I have no hope, these hardships only mean I need a bit more support than other people, to thrive.’
Meeting a role model, who is both Autistic and a writer, was an incredible experience for our students, many of whom are inspiring writers themselves. Billy, Year 8, said, ‘What would I like to say about it – breath-taking. It was a breath-taking experience. It made me feel comfortable and I wish to be an author too.’
Our students have formed a writing community, here at LVS, writing many short stories in their free time and choosing to spend lunch periods adding to their novels. As parents and carers will already know, we now run our own student-led newsletter every term, the LVS Spirit, and students are keen to write their own articles and see them published. Daniel, Year 10 and our LVS Spirit Lead, says, ‘I love doing it. It is a good way to express my creativity.’
The experience of meeting Joely Williams is a memory our students are not likely to forget and was beautifully summarised by Gavina, Year 10, when she said, ‘It helped me to feel empowered and to accept my Autism and be proud of it.’
