Damian Milton is a Senior Lecturer in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities at the Tizard Centre, University of Kent. Damian's interest in autism began when his son was diagnosed in 2005 as autistic aged 2 and he was diagnosed with Asperger's in 2009 aged 36. Damian's primary focus is on increasing the meaningful participation of autistic people and people with learning disabilities in the research process and chairs the Participatory Autism Research Collective (PARC).

Sara Ryan is a Professor of Social Care, Manchester Metropolitan University. Her research focuses on autism, learning disabilities, and marginalised groups.