Name: Elena Filipczyk
Pronouns: she/her
Neurodivergence: Autistic. ADHD.
Professional Role: Writer
Bio: Elena Filipczyk is an autistic German-Australian writer, activist and scholar. Her writing centres on her personal experiences of autism, disability, trauma, and grief, and has been published in the New York Post, SBS Online, and news.com.au. Her essay “Pink skates, autistic limbs” will be published in an anthology by Hardie Grant in August 2023.
As a PhD student, Elena’s academic work examines power, privilege, and suffering across the fields of critical animal studies, disability studies, and Indigenous studies. Elena has ADHD, POTS, lived experience with PTSD, anxiety, and depression, and a number of other chronic illnesses. She has worked as a journalist, in the non-profit sector, and as a media advisor to a Member of New South Wales Parliament. In her spare time, Elena enjoys live music, rollerskating, and spending time in nature.
As a PhD student, Elena’s academic work examines power, privilege, and suffering across the fields of critical animal studies, disability studies, and Indigenous studies. Elena has ADHD, POTS, lived experience with PTSD, anxiety, and depression, and a number of other chronic illnesses. She has worked as a journalist, in the non-profit sector, and as a media advisor to a Member of New South Wales Parliament. In her spare time, Elena enjoys live music, rollerskating, and spending time in nature.
Recent Publications: Being autistic doesn’t absolve Sia of dangerous ableism - MamaMia
Women like Em Rusciano aren't faking their autism, we've been faking being neurotypical - Hire Up
Disabled women are over-employed and underfunded - Women With Disabilities Australia
7 signs you might have autism - New York Post and news.com.au
Women like Em Rusciano aren't faking their autism, we've been faking being neurotypical - Hire Up
Disabled women are over-employed and underfunded - Women With Disabilities Australia
7 signs you might have autism - New York Post and news.com.au
Twitter: @ElenaFilipczyk
Instagram: @ElenaFilipczyk
Facebook: ElenaFilipczyk
Location: NSW, Australia
Available for Virtual Sessions: YES
Available for In-Person Sessions: YES
Available to Travel: YES. I am happy to travel to any destination at the expense of the organiser.
Speaking Topics Include: Autism; ADHD; PTSD; Grief and bereavement; Being an “adult orphan”; Trauma; POTS; Eczema; Ichthyosis vulgaris; Allergies and anaphylaxis; Workplace adjustments especially for autistic people and people with physical disabilities and chronic illnesses; Why CBT can be unhelpful at best and harmful at worst for autistic people; My experience with EMDR therapy; Recovering from and preventing burnout in the workplace; Intersectionality and feminism, especially related to disability and animal studies/ animal rights; The danger of the myth of autistic people having no empathy; Growing up undiagnosed / late diagnosis of autism and ADHD; School experience being autistic and undiagnosed; The need for universal basic income (UBI) and free medical care in order for disabled and chronically ill people to live without needless suffering.
Suitable Audiences Include: Secondary/ high school children, university students, academics, business managers, government organisations, and non-profit organisations.
Speaker Experience: I have worked in corporate, non-profit and government organisations, so I have had experience with how demanding each of these sectors can be, in different ways, and just how unsuited most “professional” work environments are for autistic, disabled, and chronically ill people. Unfortunately, I quickly burnt out of every job I’ve ever held - until now. And it began way back at primary school. As a “good student”, I quickly became an A-grade-seeking perfectionist, and defined my worth based on my academic results. This continued into high school, and though I was Dux of my school, by the end of my last year of high school, I was so burnt out I physically couldn’t even finish the last essay question on my geography exam.
During my five-year double-degree, the cycle of intense work and burnout continued, and as it did, my physical health and mental health got worse. Eventually, on my exchange year in Berlin - what should have been the happiest year of my life - I experienced a 3-month period of suicidal depression. A year later, having graduated and started my professional career, the pattern of intense work and burnout continued. For three years, in three separate jobs, I struggled to find a work-life balance, and my physical health continued to worsen.
Then, in August 2020, everything came to a head. My mother died suddenly, and this enormous loss put everything in my life into perspective, particularly my physical and mental health. Then, at the age of 28, I was diagnosed as autistic. Finally, spurred by this new knowledge and the death of my mother, I started living the life I wanted to - not the one I was expected to. It’s not a coincidence that when I started unmasking and enjoying life again that I started writing about autism, disability, and grief.
During my five-year double-degree, the cycle of intense work and burnout continued, and as it did, my physical health and mental health got worse. Eventually, on my exchange year in Berlin - what should have been the happiest year of my life - I experienced a 3-month period of suicidal depression. A year later, having graduated and started my professional career, the pattern of intense work and burnout continued. For three years, in three separate jobs, I struggled to find a work-life balance, and my physical health continued to worsen.
Then, in August 2020, everything came to a head. My mother died suddenly, and this enormous loss put everything in my life into perspective, particularly my physical and mental health. Then, at the age of 28, I was diagnosed as autistic. Finally, spurred by this new knowledge and the death of my mother, I started living the life I wanted to - not the one I was expected to. It’s not a coincidence that when I started unmasking and enjoying life again that I started writing about autism, disability, and grief.
Presentation Pitch:
How do you make a workplace truly accessible to disabled people?
Is it even possible?
How do you start learning to unmask and enjoy better quality of life as an autistic or disabled person?
Unfortunately, we do not live in a world where all disabled and chronically ill people receive the medical care and financial assistance they need. The reality is, though many of us struggle to work, most of us need to work in order to survive. The pressure is huge, and when disabled people only work to live and do nothing else, burnout is always on the horizon While I advocate strongly for universal basic income (UBI) and free medical care, I’m also passionate about advocating for the needs of neurodivergent, disabled, and chronically ill people in the workplace and beyond. There are simple, powerful things employers and the community can do to make work and life not only bearable, but a comfortable experience for disabled people. To tell this story, I draw on my own experience in the workforce - the good, and the bad - and in other areas of my life, in order to help other autistic and disabled people advocate for themselves, their needs, and their wants.
How do you make a workplace truly accessible to disabled people?
Is it even possible?
How do you start learning to unmask and enjoy better quality of life as an autistic or disabled person?
Unfortunately, we do not live in a world where all disabled and chronically ill people receive the medical care and financial assistance they need. The reality is, though many of us struggle to work, most of us need to work in order to survive. The pressure is huge, and when disabled people only work to live and do nothing else, burnout is always on the horizon While I advocate strongly for universal basic income (UBI) and free medical care, I’m also passionate about advocating for the needs of neurodivergent, disabled, and chronically ill people in the workplace and beyond. There are simple, powerful things employers and the community can do to make work and life not only bearable, but a comfortable experience for disabled people. To tell this story, I draw on my own experience in the workforce - the good, and the bad - and in other areas of my life, in order to help other autistic and disabled people advocate for themselves, their needs, and their wants.
Book this Speaker: Via email at [email protected] or reach out via Twitter - @elenafilipczyk
