At first I needed advice from other advocates. I knew the direction I wanted to go in but I needed help. I felt like I didn’t really know how to do anything. I’d separated myself from people both online and offline. Plus I had been homeless or had limited access to the internet for many years. This meant that I was really unfamiliar with online experiences and possibilities.
I have joked about speaking to someone and after they said “Tick Tock, Zoom and Instagram” I thought they were having a stoke. I had no clue what they were talking about and only didn’t say anything because the other things they said made sense. I finally figured out they were talking about online apps, and social media platforms, but I was really confused for a time.
There are several people whom I credit with helping me become an autistic advocate and human rights activist. I honestly couldn’t have done it without several people including my wife, friends, everyone at Autism Understanding Scotland, Arielle Bradberry, and Sofia Akbar.
I have so much admiration and appreciation for Sofia and everything she does. She’s an autistic educator and advocate, that is helping to support the autistic community that are from ethnic minority cultures, in Scotland. She has recently been recognised for her work with a “Community Spirit Award” by The British Muslim Awards. We wanted to say that I am so proud of her and incredibly glad to hear about her accomplishment. I just wanted to take this opportunity to thank her for her part in my own journey, and congratulate her on her very well deserved award.
All our best and love
Ross Fraser and Jeni Dern
Written by – Ross Fraser
We wanted to say a congratulations to an amazing woman, someone that I deeply admire. Sofia Akbar, winner of the “Community Spirit Award” at the 2024 British Muslim Awards.