UNTYPICAL: How the world isn’t built for autistic people and what we should all do about it
Pete Wharmby
RIGHT SOLD: UK & Commonwealth to Mudlark/Harper Collins - UK pub date 16 March 2023; Estonian/Aripaev, Polish/Media Rodzina, Romanian/Help Autism, Japanese/Toyokan, Korea/Will Book Pub, Chinese Simplified/New Star Press, Czech/Atyp
RIGHTS AVAILABLE: All other rights handled by the bks Agency
In the author’s words:
After being diagnosed as autistic at the age of 34 in 2017, I have immersed myself in working to improve autistic awareness, acceptance and making the world a more suitable place for the neurodivergent community. I am most active on Twitter, where I go by the handle @Commaficionado, and on YouTube.
I am a keen advocate of the concept of neurodiversity – that is I do not view autism as an illness or inherently negative condition that needs treatment or cure. I believe that with sufficient adaptation and adjustment, a large majority of autistic people can thrive and lead their best life and that the main barrier to this is a lack of understanding, awareness, and acceptance of what autism actually is amongst the non-autistic, or ‘neurotypical’ population.
With sufficient developments and changes to government policy, the corporate world, and education, it is possible we could live in a world that was suitable for both neurotypical individuals and autistic people, and I will continue to devote much of my time and energy to helping this to happen.
Peter Wharmby grew up in Leicestershire and Lincolnshire until his late teens, with a quite impoverished upbringing. He studied English at Loughborough University and went on to teach in the public and private sector for thirteen years until the pandemic. Peter has always had an interest in writing.
