John Enjoys a Holiday Break at the Kingwood Caravan
20 July 2026
Born in Germany and raised in England, after fleeing Nazi occupation on the kindertransport at aged 5 , Dame Stephanie has led an extraordinary life. Dame Stephanie’s challenging childhood has shaped her unwavering spirit, which has been a driving force behind her lifelong accomplishments.
Adopting the name “Steve” allowed her to break down barriers in the workplace that women faced at the time, and still face today. Her tech company (founded in 1962) employed mostly women, despite the industry being male-dominated.
In 1994, Dame Stephanie Shirley established Autism at Kingwood with the aim of supporting her autistic son Giles out of inappropriate in-patient care and into a supported living home, where he could make is own decisions about his life. Nearly three decades on, the charity has supported hundreds of autistic adults, helping them to experience greater independence in their lives.
Dame Stephanie’s book ‘Let It Go’ is an inspiring memoir that tells the story of her journey from escaping Nazi-occupied Europe to becoming a trailblazing tech entrepreneur. It is an inspiring read and copies are available form Autism at Kingwood!
Happy Birthday Steve!
Watch our birthday video here!
We provide supported living and outreach support, helping and enabling autistic people to live in their own homes and make their own choices about the lives they want to lead.
Our relationship with the families of those we support is incredibly important to us and we work in partnership with families wherever possible.
All Autism at Kingwood support staff receive our Specialist Autism Training, making us leading care providers in Autism support.
If you’d like to make a donation directly to us then you can do this in a number of ways.
You can fundraise for us, through sponsored events or in a number of other ways.