Motivational Speaking
My Autistic Wings
Autistic Autism Advocacy
About Me
Joely is a multi world award winning autism activist, advocate, international motivational speaker, and author, who was diagnosed at 2, as autistic and ADHD.
Joely loves her disability autism, after spending years learning to understand her quirks and embrace her differences. Joely's biggest passion is to empower understanding of autism hidden hardships, depths, quirks and gifts. Joely travels the country for her activism business ‘My Autistic Wings’, where she delivers motivational speeches, autism presentations and campaigns for change. Joely is now a multi world and national award winning autism activist, motivational speaker and best selling author of ‘AspergerWorld: My Fairy Jam Jar’; a highly reviewed, empowering and educational resource book.
Joely says:
"For me, my autism is both a disability that embraces every second of my life in a variety of challenging and endearing ways, and it is also a gift because the two can co -exist. The term 'Disability' empowers all of me, never shaming or invalidating my struggles or teaching me that I should not be 100% who I am. I am Autistic in the same way that my name is Joely, I am not a person with Joelyness, and I am not a person with Autism. I am Autistic and I am 'Autism' because I am my brain, and there's nothing wrong with that, it says nothing bad about me, my potential or my efforts and humanity."
"In this way, calling myself disabled also embraces all of me; my quirks, my hidden hardships, gift and disability - everything. Disability is not a dirty word, and instead its quite the opposite and it allows me to grow through my hardships, because I understand the roots of my struggles, shame free. There's nothing wrong with being disabled, despite what society teaches us.
There's nothing wrong with neurodiversity and neurodivergency either."
"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. For me, I am disabled, and I have a gift; I have been empowered by support and understanding to spread my wings and learn to fly - this website showcases parts of my story, and I hope you find strength, to spread your own wings and learn to fly,
not in spite of your difficulties, like I have been enabled to."
Joely's Timeline...
(Hover over the purple bubbles to learn more...)
2 Years Old
Joely was diagnosed as Autistic and ADHD. Joely was non verbal, happy and missing all of of her milestones.
Joely was diagnosed as Autistic and ADHD. Joely was non verbal, happy and missing all of of her milestones.
5 Years Old
Joely started a special needs school. With 121 role modelling at home, mirroring school lessons, and plenty of sensory friendly rest, occupational and speech therapy. Joely was able to thive and be very happy. Joely started to babble to communicate, loved art and was known as a whirl wind...
7 Years Old
Joely, who was
still partially deaf, under went several surgerys & grommet & her hearing improved. Joely was communicating using short sentences, sign language & Heiroglyphics. Joely was affectionately known as a whirlwind never processing or hearing the words "Stop!" or "no!". Joely, always was trying to be good, & would follow instructions, if
understood.
9 Years Old
Joely has started
to learn how to hear and is
preparing for dual - school, programme, training her for the transition between a special needs school and a mainstream primary school. Joely was still not sleeping every night and required 24 hour 121, to keep her safe. Joely also became outwardly justice seeking - standing up for her friends with bullies, despite being harmed. Joely was very happy, although still lacking basic life skills other childre learn as much younger children.
Joely was always in pain
but never stopped
smiling.
11 Years Old
Joely started
a mainstream secondary
school, & made lots of friends. Joelys hearing has come back & she can now talk, in full sentences, although she still struggles to process words & meaning. Joely, in her justice seeking ways has now become more able of processing the world, & the people around her; realising for the very first time that she was a little different to other people. Never the less Joely was still very happy, despite spending most of her time overwhelmed by information & sensory injustice, & often hides;
either in the loo, or in
her bedroom.
13 Years Old
Joely went
through extensive testing, &
was diagnosed with Aspergers
Syndrome. Now Joely finally understood
her differences, & could process information well enough to establish what diversity is, Joely was told she was Autistic, & it was, & still is, the best day of her life. Joely was a very social teenager, & followed the rules & justice seeking, no matter what - even if it got her in trouble. Joely read every book & website available & soon learnt to love her disability. Joely decided, that to help other people like her, she would write her very own book - what we now have
today, 'AspergerWorld :
My Fairy Jam Jar'.
Joely
surprised everyone by
passing her GCSE's C-As, despite
low predictions, thanks to 'pressure free' learning and exams. Joely left school, and went to a Further Education college course, where independence Training began. Joely had been working as a 121 in her mums Ofsted Outstanding child minding nursery for a few years, and really started to blossom, realising
she wanted nothing more than
to help people.
16 Years Old
Joely was diagnosed as Autistic and ADHD. Joely was non verbal, happy and missing all of of her milestones.
18 Years Old
Joely was
diagnosed with PTSD, and
was really struggling with mental
health. Advised to Volunteer with like minded people to encourage a sense of purpose and build self esteem, Joely started Volunteering with YMCA Bournemouth, with a disability youth action project called the Chatterboxes. It is here, that Joely's story truly begins. Joely left FE, and started at the Arts University in Bournemouth, following passion. While Volunteering, Joely met
her now Husband, fell in love, and life started to make sense, the more
she loved and understood
her diversity.
20 Years Old
Joely, had found her
life's passion, and adored spending
up to 25 hours a week volunteering,
un paid, with various charities, councils
and schools; delivering disability training, creating a magazine for other young disabled people by disabled young people and making society, bit by bit, more autism friendly. Joely became a 121 and assistant manager at her mums nursery, and helped the nursery achieve awards and Outstanding Ofsted reports.
Joely was diagnosed with her disease,
and required surgery. A few months later,
she won her first 3 national awards,
including recognition from
the Prime minister.
22 Years Old
Joely is the happiest
she has ever been, and credits
volunteering to changing her life. Joely
now volunteers, and shares her story as a activist; working on government green papers, council accessibility and transition boards, charity ambassadors, the face of YMCA England, helped to design and implement a local 'Safe Places scheme' which was rolled out nationwide, became a tv anchor and began her journey onto TV and radio. Joely has been
put into 'remission' for her diseases (not cancer), and was told her diseases were impossible to come back. Joely
dedicated all her spare time,
to volunteering.
Joely won her first
World autism awards, became
a world ANCA autism ambassador and
made her debut onto the World stage at the
World Autism Festival, Canada. while in Canada,
Joelys boyfriend, proposed, making a wonderfully
joyous time, absolutely magical. Unfortunately, Joelys disease came back for the second time, and Joely became very ill - undiagnosed because it was thought to be 'impossible' to come back twice. Joely moved out with her Fiance and learnt more basic life skills, that other adults learnt as kids or teens - chores and basic self care. Ever positive, Joely published her first book, 'AspergerWorld'
and became an instant best seller with her publisher. Motivated more than ever to help more people while
she still could, Joely toured the country delivering
speeches and autism training at conferences
and business, eager to help
raise understanding
24 Years Old
Joely
got married on the happiest
day of their lives, and began her
learning journey as a wife, and independence
training in a brand new flat, having moved out
a year before. Still poorly, Joely had a second
surgery for her diseases a week after they married - meaning that, even in 2022 - they still have not had
their honeymoon, due to Joely's diseases. Too ill to volunteer like she used to, but more determined than ever to help while she still could, Joely dedicated her time to 121 at the nursery and traveling the country to deliver speeches and guiding families online, with Action Plans and home education plans tailored to individual kids and their needs/interests. Swiftly
burning out, Joely needed to rest and recover
more often than before, in shutdown
-burnout cycles; never the less,
Joely was very happy.
26 Years Old
Joely became
severely disabled, often in a
wheelchair and became severely
agoraphobic, unable to leave the house alone,
for fear of suddenly being unable to move,
passing out, facing agonising pain, and having
seizures in the streets and having no access to help
- as was common multiple times a day at this time.
Joelys diseases came back once again, after going into remission and again told it was likely impossible to come
back. The 4th time around, the diseases was much worse,
and often dangerous, requiring twice monthly infusions to
stay safe-ish. Joey required 5 surgeries in one year - 4 for
her kidneys, due to the disease implications, and 1 major surgery with the UKs leading specialist for her disease,
which by now - has become increasingly rare. Put back
into remission, and ever encouraged, Joely
created a Advocacy YouTube series, and
published a 'Mindful Activity' PDF,
committed to speeches, online
advocacy and support.
28 Years Old
Joely underwent
lots of scans and tests in an attempt
to find what was needed to remove for her
4th Major surgery to cure her diseases, and
nothing was found that could be safely removed
- which means there is no way of keeping her safe
while her disease and symptoms continue to escalate.
After a failed 4th Surgery and never giving up, Joely decided to re brand - changing 'AspergerWorld' Autism Activism to 'My Autistic Wings', Autism Advocacy', changing all of her advocacy to include more autistic voices, media and campaigns (this is still in process in 2022). Joely ever passionate to empower still
travels the UK, for speeches and autism workshops.
Joely started writing her brand new Autism Resource
Book, called 'My Autistic Wings', which is a follow up from 'AspergerWorld, and a grown up version of her first
book 'AspergerWorld'; including insights into Teen -
Adult Autism: independence, transitional care, healthy relationships, hidden depths, life skills
and adult life, learning to thrive and
Autism Acceptance as an
Autistic adult.
30 Years Old
Joely ever
passionate to empower still travels
the UK, for speeches and autism workshops,
hosting brand new Autism workshops
'MyAutisticWings on tour, interactive autism
understanding workshops, in schools and beginning
a new endeavour to include consultancy and diagnosis observational reports for SENCO and parents into her
services. Joely will be publishing her new Autism Resource
Book, called 'My Autistic Wings', and hopes to publish a new mindful PDF. Thought to be impossible, Joely is waiting for 5th major surgery, after her diseases were thought to be
impossible to return a second, third fourth and fifth time.
In the future, Joely hopes to travel more, meet more people
and do more observational work with children and young people, to write reports to help them gain diagnosis as
early as possible,, as well as work with professionals
and parents to help them understand Autistic people,
while empowering Autistic people to better
understand themselves,
to learn to fly!
Current:
31-32 Years Old
Have a look at some of Joely's personal and team awards...
(To navigate slide show, click the arrows. To read, click the slides)
