In the UK over 50% of all teenagers at risk of terroristic activity are diagnosed autistic, the rise of the far-right and anti-immigrant sentiment post Brexit have grown considerably, this has combined with the fame of Andrew Tate and the Manosphere. I’d like to talk about how neurodivergent people are susceptible to this kind of messaging and how media literacy can be used as a tool to curb this hateful rhetoric. 
Day: Monday, October 16th, 2023
Time: 12PM EST
Speaker: Alistair Barfield
My name is Alistair Barfield, I’m an Autistic/ADHD man. My background is in education, specifically high school SEND education with a focus on Autistic spectrum condition young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. I currently work for ‘The Brain Charity’ a British non-profit organisation which assists those affected with any neurological condition, based in Liverpool. In my role as media literacy trainer, I teach outside organisations that work with autistic people about media literacy, specifically focusing on the manosphere, conspiracy theories and the rise of the far-right.
