Meet The Team
DR Susy Ridout
Susy has a doctorate in Autism exploring methods to bring autistic voices to the fore in all aspects impacting on them. This is due to the disenfranchisement of autistic people collectively and individually, and the resultant misinterpretation of support requirements.
Susy brings extensive insider expertise to her work on neurodivergence and sexual violence and weaves this into a career addressing sexual violence and mentoring in a range of settings. She advocates mentoring as an approach to examining barriers to recovery, developing coping strategies and exploring terminology used to voice these and challenge systemic injustices. Susy compliments this work through well-informed, and bespoke training (for example with specialist services and the Criminal Justice System). In addition she has collaborated on a Home-Office Funded Project, Operation Soteria Bluestone, training police in responding to neurodivergent victims of sexual violence. Susy is a regular speaker at conferences in the UK and abroad, and has produced a wide range of publications, including books, chapters, articles and multi-media.
Sara Rocha
Sara Rocha is a neurodivergent advocate and the representative of the European Council of Autistic People (EUCAP) in the Women’s Committee of the European Disability Forum (EDF). She is the co-founder and President of Associação Portuguesa Voz do Autista, the first self-advocacy non-profit in Portugal. She is an expert in healthcare data and public health information and works as a Data Manager for the Public Health and Primary Care department of the School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge. She is also trained as an Infodemics Manager by the World Health Organization. Sara has been involved with several European and international campaigns, training and projects in Autism and Disability, including by developing and managing an European project with EUCAP, funded by the European Women's Lobby, on autistic people's experiences with violence and access to reporting and support services.
The Lotus
Story
Who we Are
Lotus Collaborations UK has a vision where Autistic and Neurodivergent Victim-Survivors of Sexual Violence are believed and supported to move on with their lives following their subjection to sexual violence and as they recover.
Using our core values of:
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Transparency;
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Integrity;
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Building knowledge; and
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Sharing knowledge
Lotus Collaborations UK will aim to meet its objectives to:
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Collaborate with victim-survivors and provide opportunities for them to voice, explore, and share ideas around recovery pathways.
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Initiate and respond to bespoke training initiatives that address the overlap between neurodivergence and sexual violence.
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Establish collaborations to engage institutions on a variety of projects to target different societal groups and raise awareness of sexual violence.
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Improve options for pathways to recovery for neurodivergent victim-survivors of sexual violence through the raising of awareness and training among the general public.
Provision and Development of Resources
Directors and Lotus collaborators will work together to build a wide selection of resources to meet the requirements of individuals and services. This means that different communication needs will be addressed in order to reach an extensive and inclusive audience.
Of importance will be supporting individuals and services to engage in collaborations and events that recognise the diversity of victim-survivor experiences. This would encourage positive conversation around the experiences of victim-survivors as unique individuals, many of whom have added to, or developed, their skill set by turning their experiences around to raise societal awareness of sexual violence.
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Social Settings
University
The second edition of this successful book has added new chapters
to better reflect diversity and to acknowledge the prevalence of sexual
violence on campus. New chapters address: gender, exploring issues
such as identity, disclosure, pronouns, name change and transitioning;
issues experienced by many individuals from BAME communities, such
as acceptance within their own culture, language barriers, obtaining a
diagnosis, tokenism and inclusion of BAME voices within higher education;
and the third additional chapter addresses sexual violence, whether
it has happened prior to university or during studies and on or off
campus. This chapter discusses processing and communicating what
has happened and available support options.
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A practical resource for all those working to support victim-survivors
Recovery and survival following sexual violence are unique to each individual, and this invaluable book provides a resource for those supporting autistic and neurodivergent women to take steps towards regaining control of their life. Written from the author’s lived experience and expertise, there is a wealth of accessible guidance and practical activities that focus on making sense of events and taking time to do so. This resource provides a clear framework to explore the full range of issues arising from sexual violence, including identity, goal-setting, safety, mental and physical well-being, managing emotions, friendships, relationships and disclosure, memory, concentration and sensory experiences. It includes printable resource sheets and details of available supports to introduce to individuals or groups. Whilst targeting neurodivergent/autistic women survivors, it can be adapted by others to suit their requirements. Above all, it encourages practitioners to work respectfully with clients in the context of their experiences and evolving situations.