Think Autism Sydney Conference

Think Autism – Sydney Conference 2025

Saturday 31 May 2025
10:00am – 5:30pm
Dr Chau Chak Wing Building, UTS Business School
University of Technology Sydney (UTS)

Unapologetically Autistic – Empowerment | Visibility | Justice

The Think Autism – Sydney Conference is a one-day, in-person event created by and for Autistic people. This national gathering brings together Autistic leaders, professionals, creators, researchers, and advocates to centre unapologetic identity, economic self-determination, Autistic entrepreneurship, neuroaffirming design, and community-led change.

This flagship event forms part of the Think Autism program, with all panels filmed and photographed for digital release on Autistic Pride Day – 18 June 2025.

What to Expect

• High-impact keynote panels and expert-led discussions
• Practical workshops designed with Autistic participants in mind
• Authentic conversations grounded in lived and professional experience
• Low-pressure networking and community connection
• A fully accessible, sensory-considerate venue

Conference Program

10:00 AM – OPENING KEYNOTE PANEL

Unapologetically Autistic: Leadership, Visibility and Voice
Hosted by: Kyriakos Gold
Speakers: Dr Sharon Zivkovic, Rebecca McCash, Christina Chun

• Autistic leaders speak candidly about visibility and representation
• Showing up without apology in spaces not built for us
• What will the National Autism Strategy change?
• How will Autistic people hold it to account?

10:45 AM – BREAK (15 mins)

11:00 AM – FEATURE PANEL

Autistic Entrepreneurship: Disrupting the System
Hosted by: Kyriakos Gold
Speakers:Dr Sharon Zivkovic, Rebecca McCash, Christina Chun, Zoe Attenbury

• How Autistic-led businesses are redefining leadership and accessibility
• Disrupting traditional ways of working across sectors

11:45 AM – FEATURE PANEL

Neurodivergent Health Practitioners: Rethinking Care, Reclaiming Practice
Hosted by: Dr Naomi Malone
Speakers: Georgia Zentrich, Mishma Kumar-Jonson and more

• Neurodivergent health professionals share how they’re designing care differently
• Lived experience at the centre of health and wellbeing models

12:30 PM – COMMUNITY LUNCH + QUIET ROOM ACTIVATION

• Choose to connect, recharge or explore creative activations
• Structured, low-pressure spaces
• Sensory-friendly environment

WORKSHOPS (run at the same time as Panels – choose your session)

1:15 PM – WORKSHOP A

Thriving Without Apology
Presented by: Rebecca McCash

• Peer-led mental health session
• Boundaries, burnout and building a life without masking

2:15 PM – WORKSHOP B

Intentional Sharing of Lived and Living Experience
Presented by: Natasha Siryj

• Professional development for sharing your story
• Safe and intentional approaches to lived experience storytelling

1:30 PM – PANEL (run at the same time as Workshops – choose your session)

Neuroaffirming Systems: Designed by Us, for Us
Hosted by: Anita Aherne
Speakers: Holly Fowler, Natasha Siryj and more

• Autistic professionals showcase innovation in:
  • Education
  • Tech
  • Governance
  • Service design

2:15 PM – BREAK (15 mins)

2:30 PM – PANEL

Telling Our Stories: Autism in the Media
Hosted by: Kyriakos Gold
Speakers: Heather Ridge and more

• Who controls Autistic narratives?
• Media power, storytelling ethics and Autistic creators

3:15 PM – BREAK (15 mins)

3:30 PM – PANEL

Community Is the Cure: Belonging Beyond the System
Hosted by: Anita Aherne
Speakers: Dwayne Fernandez, Aisling Smith, Georgia Zentrich and more

• Peer support, grassroots organising, and community care
• How Autistic people support one another when formal systems fail

4:15 PM – FILMED Q&A

Think Autism: The Future We Choose
Hosted by: Kyriakos Gold
Open to all speakers and participants

• Live and interactive
• You can ask questions, share reflections or simply observe
• Camera-optional seating available

5:00 PM – CLOSING REMARKS

6:00 PM – COMMUNITY DRINKS (VENUE TBA)

• Wind down with music, mocktails and informal connection
• A soft landing to end the day

Access and Inclusion

We are committed to making this Conference as accessible and comfortable as possible.

• Quiet rooms and sensory maps throughout the venue
• Camera-optional seating in all sessions
• Low-scent policy and physically accessible venue
• Neuroaffirming facilitators and program design

Presented by

Just Gold
The Aurum Foundation

In Partnership With

City of Sydney
University of Technology Sydney (UTS)

In Collaboration With

• Australian Institute of Diversity in Mental Health
• Centre for Autistic Entrepreneurship
• Community Capacity Builders
• Invictus Health
• FutureTech
• Living on the Spectrum
• Myriad Global

Digital Release

All sessions will be filmed and professionally photographed. Edited recordings will be distributed online for Autistic Pride Day – 18 June 2025, extending the reach of the Conference nationwide and globally.