Dr Carly Jones MBE has been advocating for the awareness, acceptance, inclusion and safeguarding of Autistic women and girls since 2008. In 2014 she became the first British Autistic woman to speak at the United Nations. 

Her book “Safeguarding Autistic Girls - Strategies for professionals” was published internationally in 2021 and has been gifted to every police and crime commissioner in England, N.Ireland, Scotland and Wales to help better support Autistic women and girls as a victim, witness or defendant in the U.K. judicial system. 

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Carly now acts as a government advisor, board and committee portfolio career which spans the Justice, Aviation, Honours, Maritime, Rail, Employment and Healthcare sector in the U.K. In addition, Carly works internationally as an accessibility and safeguarding consultant. 

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Carly is an Autistic woman herself and a mother of adult Autistic daughters.

 

Statement: 

As an autistic woman and long-time advocate for survivors, I’m deeply honoured to be a Patron of Lotus. With 91% of autistic women experiencing abuse, and being a part of that statistic myself, I know firsthand how Lotus’ vital, non-judgmental support helps us navigate trauma across our lifespan. Abuse is not confined to age or socio -economic background, many of us face repeated harm, often unrecognised. Lotus empowers us through practical, logical support, recognising our unique needs in healing. Their peer-led ethos and expert training help professionals better support autistic survivors. We may struggle to see red flags, but we recognise each other’s distress—and Lotus helps us reclaim our lives, confidence, ambitions, and dignity.