Joanne Dacombe
Board Member
She/Her
Joanne is from New Zealand and was late diagnosed in 2012. She has been married for over 40 years and has 2 adult children including an Autistic son. She has a growing number of grandchildren, the eldest of which has also been diagnosed as Autistic.
She is passionate about the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability, and particularly the right to inclusive education. She is a strong advocate in NZ around education, health and justice and serves at a local council level on an advisory group.
Joanne was also on an Expert Disability Advisory Group for the New Zealand Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith Based Care.
She serves on several of Governance boards, has co-authored a number of Autism research papers, and was also appointed to the Australasian Autism Research Council in 2024.