Guest Speaker/Lecturer at the NAS/SHU PGC Asperger Syndrome Course, London 21st April 2010

Asperger Syndrome and Communication Difficulties: a Personal Perspective, a lecture from Chris Jesson, University of Sheffield. 21^st April 2010, 13:30-14:30

As part of

Postgraduate Certificate (PGC) in Asperger Syndrome

A partnership course from the National Autistic Society and Sheffield Hallam University

20^th-22^nd April 2010

Imperial Hotel

Russell Square

London

 

Outline post lecture

This was my first engagement of delivering my individual perspectives on having Asperger Syndrome exclusively to an academic or educational audience learning towards a qualification in the condition. It was also the first such reflection on personal challenges with AS that has taken place out of South Yorkshire so the change of scenery was welcomed! While feeling somewhat nauseous on the train to London, I had confidence on the return journey that the talk was the personal perspective that students needed to take on board to delve into the difficulties and positive fragments of the life of people with AS. This may or may not be the case and I welcome the feedback given through the course evaluation forms. I was honoured to be asked to give this lecture today to a very receptive and accepting audience and I very much look forward to these kinds of events or scenarios where the opportunity arises for me to reach out as a voice to other people. I wish every person on the course success in their studies.

It is on reflection of the lecture today that I felt very much in a comfort zone talking about AS, and the only anxieties that prevailed were to do with speaking in front of an audience. None of the usual anxieties about noise, keeping up with joneses and being on schedule seemed to matter in that scenario. If you would like to get in touch about hearing my personal perspective, or would like me to talk to your audience, please let me know through the contact page of my blog.

Thanks for looking,

Chris

RTPi Manifesto for Planning – Can somebody tell me what is new?

Hello all,

After printing it off at work yesterday and getting the chance to read through it this afternoon on the train from London, I thought I’d give a review on the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPi) Manifesto for Planning. This has been produced particularly with the forthcoming General Election in mind (May 6th) to reaffirm the RTPi’s stance and values as to how the current system is working and the direction they would prefer to see it take.

I read with bemusement come page 14 (the final page) that the manifesto was not inherently radical – instead it appeared to be a basic and hastily defined set of values that we already came to expect from the RTPi.

It went on to suggest that the planning system should not have any radical changes because this would cause ill feeling and uncertainty at local planning authorities who are barely getting to grips with the process of Local Development Frameworks (LDFs), incidentally anow 6 years old. But further down the manifesto it was suggested that LDFs were not the way forward and a slow process of implementing local planning. But in order to solve those frailties, I personally think a radical overhaul would again be needed and that would then constitute a contradiction to the RTPi’s values. The rest of the document was very much part and parcel of what we already knew the RTPi stood for, but I suppose the Institute was very strenuous to advocate that those values and objectives still very much exist strongly.

Thanks for looking

Chris

NUS National Conference Speech – “Equality and Diversity”, FE Zone

Hello all,

Further to my NUS National Conference 2010 report, I add the transcript of my speech which was an open contribution endorsing Equality and Diversity strategies in the Further Education Curriculum.

“Good evening conference,

I would say that as someone who works in equality and diversity a motion like this comes to be a positive objective. It is not always the attitude of the student at fault for a low level of understanding of this issue, instead it is the institutional processes within FE that have to adapt in the same way that we often debate about for HE, for all aspects of equality and diversity.

Therefore a proper, adequate and importantly well maintained delivery of the key skills curricuum should be endorsed along with lobbying the government to investigate why meeting Ofsted criteria has been coined as ‘tokenistic’, as this is clearly box ticking and not in the aspirations of FE students.

I hope you take agreement with me on this motion as it opens up a new field of opportunity for the NUS Liberation Campaigns in particular to target.

Thank you”

1.5 minute speech originally broadcast 13/04/2010