Autism in Ukraine: Stories of Suffering, Courage, Compassion and Creativity

Speaker: David Higgs MBE, founder and director of the Autism Ukraine Project
Series: ARClub Talks

More than half a million autistic people are living in Ukraine today.

During wartime, autistic communities face particular vulnerabilities: extreme sensory overload, loss of control over their lives and disruption to routines.

This presentation brings visibility and a voice to Ukraine’s often-overlooked autistic community as it endures the trauma of armed conflict.

Stories of heartbreak, remarkable courage, creativity, compassion and selflessness reveal how autistic doctors, activists, paramedics, psychologists, musicians, artists, community workers, soldiers and a combat medic are responding to Russia’s brutal invasion.

David Higgs MBE is an autistic journalist, photographer and Emmy Award-winning documentary filmmaker.

Autism advocates Valeriia Shapovalova and Kateryna Kravchuk co-founded Ukraine’s first support group for autistic adults. Kravchuk, a doctor and neurologist in civilian life, now serves as a senior sergeant in a combat unit.