Dame Stephanie Shirley's Successful UKAF Autism Lecture In Redbridge, England

Main Category: Autism
Article Date: 10 Nov 2008 - 5:00 PDT

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Dame Stephanie Shirley one of Britain's leading autism campaigners recently visited the London Borough of Redbridge for the first time to deliver an Autism Lecture in Woodford Green, Essex, on the invitation of the autism charity, the UK Autism Foundation. She is also one of the UK's top entrepreneurs, arriving in Britain from Austria at the age of 5 years old; a child refugee fleeing the horrors of Nazi-occupied Germany. Dame Stephanie arrived at Liverpool Street Station stateless, penniless and without any knowledge of the English language. She is now one of the wealthiest women in Britain due to a talent for maths, computer science and entrepreneurship.She started an early business technology group on her dining room table with £6 in 1962. In 25 years as its Chief Executive, she developed the company, now called Xansa into a FTSE 250 leading technology group, which has pioneered new working practices and changed the position of professional women - especially in hi-tech.

Steve Shirley addressed a large audience and shared her moving story of life with her late son Giles who had autism. Ivan Corea said: ' I am delighted that Dame Stephanie Shirley visited the London Borough of Redbridge. Many parents, carers and dignitaries who attended the event organised in partnership between UKAF, Redbridge Parents in Partnership and the parents autism group STAAR, found her story so moving. She is an inspiration to so many people. Here is someone who has broken through barriers on so many different levels. What an example, what a role model.'

Val Davies of the Family Fund also spoke at the meeting together with Ivan Corea (UKAF), Norman Darling (UKAF), Rev Paul Harcourt (UKAF), Angela Naish (PIP) and Athena Daniels (STAAR).

The UK Autism Foundation plans to build the first ever state of the art Autism Centre in London and launch initiatives to help the poor. Recently the UK Autism Foundation launched an initiative on Poverty and Autism. The Patron of the Foundation is the autism campaigner in the House of Commons, Lee Scott MP for Ilford North.

UK Autism Foundation
Woodford Business Centre
113-115 George Lane
South Woodford
London E18 1AB
United Kingdom
http://www.ukautismfoundation.org