Judy Singer, DPhil
Judy Singer, DPhil, is an Australian sociologist who coined the term 鈥淣eurodiversity鈥 in a 1998 Honours Thesis at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS).
Her work was based on her lived experience in the middle of three generations of women 鈥渟omewhere on the autistic spectrum鈥 and built on the achievements of the Disability Rights Movement and its academic arm, Disability Studies.
Judy intended the term Neurodiversity as a potential name for an umbrella movement of people with a variety of neurological conditions, e.g., Autism, ADHD, the 鈥淒ys鈥-abilities and others. The Neurodiversity Movement has made great gains in arguing for a strength-based re-evaluation of formerly negative medical diagnoses, and in working towards greater community awareness and inclusion for all.
Judy has been active in community organizing since the 1990s, both in the local Sydney region and internationally via social media, with a focus on public housing advocacy and disability rights. Judy was the secretary of Sydney鈥檚 major parent鈥檚 group, the Inner West Autism and Asperger鈥檚 Support Group.. When her daughter outgrew this group, Judy moved on to co-found ASteen, Sydney鈥檚 only independent social club for teenagers on the spectrum.
