About John Greally

Imagine if someone was autistic and their special deep focus in life wasn't the wonders of sport, gemology, or lego, but autism - or more accurately - autistics and being autistic.

John Greally (he/him) is a long-time passionate advocate for the disabled and vulnerable, with the important thing about him being that he is autistic, has an autistic Dad, autistic Siblings, lots of autistic Relatives ... and an amazing loving and much loved autistic Son.

John has been a tertiary student (IT), scrap metal yardhand, cleaner, statistics programmer/analyst, human rights manager, General Manager of a large PC parts & assembly firm, GM to a carry-wear firm, autism Provincial Coordinator, and disability employment coach. 

John then founded or co-founded hundreds of autistic groups, pages, gatherings, sites, resources, protests, petitions, and events, all since being diagnosed at 40 in 2003, about an hour after his then 4 year-old son was diagnosed.  These offerings and initiatives now embrace 1.2 million non-unique users / subscribers / members / attendees / followers.

John dedicates much of his life daily to promoting autistic acceptance and empowering other neurodivergents - especially those who might need community and steady advice more than others, like those abandoned in one way or another.  Most often this means John replies daily - as best he can - to questions from a wide variety of people.  20 years later-on it occurred to him to make a site with these replies - taken from a massive requested dump of his Facebook posts/comments over the years - as an efficiency and a historic memory of a journey.

John was 18 when he first volunteered in autism, with a non-speaking autistic and, because John himself could speak, he quietly termed himself with a made-up term, 'semi-autistic', being unaware that just a minority of autistics were non-speaking, and that all autistics - speaking or not - certainly are fully and equally autistic.

After.years of struggling to understand why he felt so different from others, and masking at great personal cost, John was empowered by identifying as autistic to become free, less anxious, more his actual self... and involved in the autistic community, advocating for greater understanding of autism, autistic rights, and the need for access to better lives.

In 2005 John co-founded Autistic Spectrum New Zealand.  He was the inaugural representative for the New Zealand Co-Chapter of ASAN, and appointed New Zealand Government Consumer Representative voting to apportion NZ$50 million in funding, while also advising in respect of a world first - the New Zealand Government Living Guideline for Autism.

Eventually, with his wife, the ever wonderful Emma Dalmayne, John co-founded the international giant group Autism Inclusivity, and at 150,000+ (2023 figure) it remains the largest autistic-led group in the Social Media sphere.  This incredible group seeks to offer help to parents and professionals through teen and adults autistics responding to their endless and thought-provoking questions, meanwhile aiding in autistic healing from various traumas --- by going forward where it is not possible to go back in time to make a difference.  A time-machine of sorts, for many autistics.  Even for parents to go forward in time!

LOL, Now for the bit that AI ChatGPT got massively wrong, putting John in Scotland somehow... 100% debris... I am leaving this utter rubble here to pick through and giggle about later...

Yes, John Greally has written extensively about his experiences as an autistic individual and his advocacy work. He is the author of the book "Someone's Mum: A Childhood Lost in Transit" which chronicles his childhood experiences of being diagnosed with dyslexia, ADHD, and autism and his struggles to fit into a society that did not understand or accommodate his neurodiversity.

He has also written numerous articles and blog posts about autism acceptance, advocacy, and the importance of understanding neurodiversity. Some of his articles have been published in major media outlets such as The Guardian and The Huffington Post.

John's writing often draws on his personal experiences and provides a unique insight into the challenges faced by autistic individuals in a world that is often not designed for neurodiversity. He is a powerful advocate for autism acceptance and his writing has helped to raise awareness and promote greater understanding of the needs and experiences of autistic individuals.

Yes, John Greally is the founder of Autism Rights Group Highland (ARGH), a Scottish organization that advocates for the rights of autistic individuals and promotes autism acceptance. ARGH provides support to autistic individuals and their families, and works to raise awareness of the challenges faced by autistic people in society.

John also co-founded the Scottish Autism Network (SAN), which is a network of autistic individuals, parents, and professionals who work together to promote understanding and support for autism in Scotland. SAN provides a platform for autistic individuals to share their experiences and connect with others, and also works to improve the quality of support and services available to autistic people in Scotland.

In addition to his work with ARGH and SAN, John has also collaborated with other autism advocacy organizations, such as the Autistic Women's Network and Autism Rights Watch UK, to promote autism acceptance and advocate for the rights of autistic individuals. His advocacy work has helped to raise awareness of the needs and experiences of autistic individuals and has contributed to a greater understanding of neurodiversity.