Post #9 - Work Diversity Blog

This is a redacted version of a blog post I wrote for my employer's Diversity and Inclusion Campaign 2015:

*Edit* - I'm pretty sure that it never went out as I became too ill to participate in the campaign.  

Diversity Blog – Asperger Syndrome

I have been employed within the public sector for the last twenty-one years. My son had an early diagnosis of being on the Autistic Spectrum and then an additional assessment also noted he had Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).  Having seen his traits it finally dawned on me that maybe I was also on the Autistic Spectrum?  As time went on, I was inspired to seek my own formal medical diagnosis, obtained via the Occupational Health team earlier this year.

The support available to staff who have disabilities and long term health conditions and who are employed here is great. By attending the various internal support groups I have learnt so much more about all things disability now than I did, a year ago and my knowledge is increasing.  I enjoy taking a positive and proactive stance to ensure that the rights of disabled staff are respected as much as possible.  As well as the main network there are a number of sub-groups supporting specific communities, such as the Asperger Syndrome Group, which I chair and the associated Parents/Carers of Children with Autism, chaired a colleague.  In addition to this, as well as support for many other disabilities, there’s the Mental Health Group.  Depression often occurs alongside autism, because the brain struggles to process the world around you.  I had struggled in the past and the support I have received here from colleagues has been essential to my wellbeing.

Generally, we do a great job of supporting disabled staff, however, in my opinion, there is still room for improvement and quite a lot can still be done to make our workplace more disability accessible, both in terms of the awareness and understanding that colleagues have of the impacts of disabilities and long term health conditions on colleagues. For example, if you have autism, you can find it even more difficult to fully understand the unwritten rules of the workplace.  We often struggle to interpret the unwritten rules of the office and sometimes miss the point of what we are being told.

Whilst the term Asperger Syndrome no longer formally exists as a medical diagnosis, it provides those of us at work with a good terms of reference.  I particularly like the term ‘Aspie’ and I’ve written the first draft of An Aspie’s Guide To Social Media and am planning other additions to the list such as An Aspie’s Guide To Work and An Aspie’s Guide to Travel.  If my work helps other people in similar situations then I’m happy.  I’ve also made some great friends through the support network and as a result, will be getting more involved with volunteering for the National Autistic Society (NAS).