Current PhD Students

Jennifer O’Connor

Thesis Title:

Autistic Womanhood, Interoception & Connection: Representations of Autistic Women in British and Irish Literature between 2020 and 2023

Supervisor:

Dr. Alice Hall, Dr. JT Welsch

Description:

Jennifer’s critical-creative PhD investigates the depictions of autistic women in contemporary British and Irish literature and their lived
experiences through both a novel and critical thesis. Her PhD combines her personal connection to autism and keen interest in researching the lived experiences of autistic women. Her research examines what it means to be an autistic woman in the context of the clinical history of neurodivergence in Britain and Ireland, the increase in the production of contemporary novels about autistic womanhood by autistic women, and the differences and similarities in representations between Britain and Ireland. Her novel is an insight into the complex nature of forming relationships and social connections for autistic women who experience and interpret interoception differently than their neurotypical counterparts. Her novel also emphasises the impact place, cultural identity, and political history have on the perceptions of autism and disabilities more generally. Jennifer will draw on her experience as an autistic woman and working with the adult autistic community in Ireland through her work as the Adult Support and Wellbeing Officer for Ireland’s national autism charity, AsIAm.

Jennifer’s multidisciplinary research has been influenced by her time as a disability advocate and a creative writing instructor for the Centre of Talented Youth of Ireland and the Olive Branch for Children in Tanzania. She holds a BA from the University of Galway and an MSc in Disability Communication, also from the University of Galway. Her creative and research interests include the intersectional identities of minority groups in various cultural settings, narrative structures and voices, queer studies, and feminism studies.

Alongside her PhD, Jennifer produces and manages various creative tasks for the Creative Science Foundation of Ireland and works as a Disability Officer at Trinity College Dublin.