This blog post was written by Dr Christopher Tinmouth, Victoria County History (VCH) Cumbria Participatory Research Officer
Autistic representation in academia, and in community participation in research initiatives beyond the Victoria County History, has risen substantially. From being considered a marginalised section of society within living memory and frequently misunderstood on account of being perceived as different, people on the autistic spectrum have gained greater recognition and respect for the talents which they possess. However, there is still work to be done, especially within the humanities, on how these talents can be made best use of.
In this blog post for the Victoria County History of England (VCH), I wish to explore how the assets of autistic people can be utilised most effectively, as research supervisors and participants, to further the work of the VCH. I will situate my own lived experience as a diagnosed autistic adult alongside acknowledged good practice in the field of community-based research, focusing especially on the work which I have conducted for the VCH of Cumbria.
The co-inclusion of autistic participants, alongside non-autistic researchers, has been recognised within scientific research as particularly valuable for understanding the nature of the lived experience of the autistic condition. However, research into how autistic participants can be effectively included within humanities-based initiatives is still very much in its infancy, which is why this article does not include extensive references to published research. I would advise readers of this blog post to refer to the Practice-Based Guidelines of AASPIRE, for examples of how active inclusion of autistic adults in research has been conducted in comparable fields of academic enquiry.
Speaking both from my own lived experience as a diagnosed autistic adult, and from experience interacting with people with autism of a wide range of ages and backgrounds during my employment in the Lancashire County Council Museum Service, it is critical to understand that every autistic individual is different. Therefore, any project design for community-based research such as that conducted by the VCH should not aim to represent the entirety of the autistic lived experience through a singular focus on particular facets of the autistic condition. It may be possible or desirable to utilise autistic participants to research the history of autism within each county covered by the VCH. However, this is likely to limit the potential which these individuals can bring to research, since their insights and experience will be highly valued for understanding the social, economic, religious and political histories of their areas.
One of the most effective means of encouraging and valuing autistic contributions to the VCH is through identifying and utilising their special interests. Special interests can take a variety of forms, such as interests in trains, churches or local flora and fauna, and people with autism can gravitate towards groups where their special interests can be shared. On the other hand, autistic people can remain away from groups, keeping their special interests to themselves, which can make them difficult to identify as willing participants for community research. The VCH can encourage their participation by openly valuing their special interests.
Actively eliciting from autistic people what their interests are and empowering them to research those interests within the framework of VCH county frameworks, can be a powerful tool for uncovering a new level of detail to histories of counties hitherto untouched by academic research. For example, people with autism who participate in model railway clubs, such as the Furness Model Railway Club, possess detailed knowledge of locomotives, track design and histories. Their special interest in trains combine their latent ability to research in detail the history of their local railway, in this case the Furness Railway, with their desire to showcase their special interest. The VCH can bring out and incorporate these special interests very effectively, by selectively applying where these interests can be included within the particular themes explored in each county history and then relating them to the wider history of the county.
As well as encouraging the exploration of the special interests of autistic people within VCH research, there is ample scope for the VCH to utilise the general cognitive assets of autistic people to best effect within existing research priorities. Autistic people are typically recognised as possessing an exceptional ability for knowledge retention, a keen attention to detail, a systematic engagement with the data at their disposal and a creative ability to imagine new solutions. However, it must be appreciated that not all autistic people possess all these general cognitive assets to the same degree, and not all these cognitive assets are likely to be identified and utilised in the same way. The best compromise solution is, therefore, to be prepared to incorporate diverse methods by which autistic participants can contribute towards the VCH. This can mean, for instance, utilising audiovisual contributions, such as videos and podcasts, kinaesthetic portfolios such as creations of models or other artwork, and written contributions that do not necessarily conform to the academic standards expected of published VCH articles.
Autistic charities in the Furness area, such as Autus and MIND Furness, possess considerable experience working with autistic adults from across the spectrum, and can be a vital asset in enabling academic researchers to engage meaningfully with autistic participants. Working together with non-autistic supervisors, the autistic participants can distil the insights they have elicited through these methods which can form a meaningful part of the published county histories of the VCH. Pioneering new methods of how volunteers can contribute to the VCH will also pay dividends for encouraging a broad range of volunteers to take part in recording the history of their counties.
In conclusion, the potential contribution of autistic adults towards achieving a greater understanding of the history of the counties of England covered by the VCH is strong. The VCH can be a pioneer for the humanities in encouraging active collaboration with autistic adults and the organisations that support them, showcasing the value of this demographic in understanding the history of the societies of which they are a part. I hope that my brief overview of how the VCH can harness their potential has inspired you to consider utilising autistic contributions in researching the history of your own counties, for a truly inclusive VCH to become a reality.
To learn more about the work of VCH Cumbria and the different ways in which you can support their work, please visit the website of the Cumbria County History Trust: https://www.cumbriacountyhistory.org.uk/. The VCH in Cumbria has just published its first VCH ‘Big Red Book’. To learn more, see here: https://www.balh.org.uk/blog-bringing-the-vch-to-westmorland-launching-lonsdale-ward-the-first-red-book-for-cumbria-2025-10-29
Dr Christopher Tinmouth (PhD in Medieval History, Lancaster University, BAFM Youth Ambassador and Board Trustee), born in Barrow-in-Furness (Cumbria), is an expert in late-medieval monasticism in Northern England and an employee of Lancashire County Museum Service (LCMS) since 2015, serving as a Guide at Lancaster Castle.
He was employed by Victoria County History (VCH) Cumbria as a Participatory Research Officer, scouting potential groups and individuals who could write scholarly articles for the VCH and pioneering the potential for autistic participants to contribute.
Dr Tinmouth is himself diagnosed with Level 1 Autism (Asperger’s Syndrome), and this blog has been written partially from his own experience with the condition.