Sharon McCarthy is a parent in an autism and additional needs household in rural Cork. She has advocated for her family for many years to ensure educational, physical and health needs are met, and that her children are afforded equitable opportunity to realise their potential. She the mind behind, and presenter of, Autism Journeys Radio Show and Podcasts, a show centred on gaining the perspectives and telling the stories of figures in the autism community. She prides herself on the eclectic mix of information in the many podcasts now available on SoundCloud, Spotify and YouTube. Sharon is passionate about progression in the field of disability and autism and continues to upskill to best support autistic individuals. She strives to ensure educational professionals and support staff are equipped to respectfully meet the needs of said individuals. She holds a diploma in Autism Studies and a higher diploma in Facilitating Inclusion, Disability Studies, both from University College Cork, along with a Post Graduate Certificate in Autism Studies from Mary Immaculate College, Limerick. She is also both a qualified advocate and a childcare professional. Sharon works alongside and provides support and advice for autistic individuals and their families, on both personal and professional bases. She has worked as an educational advocate for children in primary, secondary and university education and she currently designs and delivers a number of autism courses in the Cork College of Commerce, along with delivering autism specific training workshops to both support and educational staff working with autistic individuals. She also assesses any environment to ensure the setting is structured to best meet the needs of autistic individuals. Sharon has appeared in a multitude of different speaking roles. As well as her wealth of public speaking experience over her time delivering training and hosting Autism Journeys Radio Show and Podcasts, she has spoken at many Post Diagnostic Parent Training Sessions held by local Autism Services. Sharon has appeared as a guest speaker for University College Cork's Disability Activism and Awareness Society, Family Carer's Ireland and she has also appeared as a guest speaker at the Irish Association for Speech and Language Therapy National Autism Special Interest Groups study day.