Donna Williams

Donna Williams
Williams in 2011
Williams in 2011
BornDonna Keene
(1963-10-12)12 October 1963
Melbourne, Australia
Died22 April 2017(2017-04-22) (aged 53)
Ringwood East, Victoria, Australia
OccupationWriter
Period1992–2017
Genre
  • Non-fiction
  • Autobiography
  • Poetry
Literary movementAutism rights
Notable works
Spouse
  • Ian (1993–1995)
  • Chris Samuel (2000–2017)
Website
www.donnawilliams.net

Donna Leanne Williams, also known by her married name Donna Leanne Samuel and as Polly Samuel (born Donna Keene; 12 October 1963 – 22 April 2017[1]), was an Australian writer, artist, singer-songwriter, screenwriter, and sculptor.

In 1965, aged two, Williams was assessed as "psychotic".[2][3] During the rest of her childhood, she was tested multiple times for deafness and labelled as "disturbed".[2][3] In 1991, she was diagnosed as autistic and also underwent treatment for gut, immune system and sensory perceptual disorders. She wrote four memoirs: Nobody Nowhere: The Extraordinary Autobiography of an Autistic Girl (1992), Somebody Somewhere: Breaking Free from the World of Autism (1994), Like Colour to the Blind: Soul Searching and Soul Finding (1998) and Everyday Heaven: Journeys Beyond the Stereotypes of Autism (2004) – and released two albums, Nobody Nowhere and Mutation. She was the subject of several TV documentaries during the '90s.

Williams wrote textbooks on the autism spectrum and was a qualified teacher, international public speaker and autism consultant.

Williams died of cancer in April 2017.[1]

  1. ^ a b Williams, Donna (30 April 2017). "Vale Polly Samuel (aka 'Donna Williams') 1963–2017. Polly's pages (aka Donna Williams)". Donna Williams. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
  2. ^ a b Golson, Emily B (2005). "Williams, Donna (1963–)". In Boynton, Victoria; Malin, Jo (eds.). Encyclopedia of Women's Autobiography. Vol. 2: K–Z. Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 565–567. ISBN 978-0-31332-739-1.
  3. ^ a b Williams, Donna (29 September 2007). "Autism; it ain't all physical. Donna Williams Blog". Donna Williams.