A PDA member shares their story:
Living and working with autism
Living with an invisible disability makes it difficult for people to understand the daily struggle people living and working with autism face. Currently 1.1% of the UK population is on the autism spectrum which means that 650,000 people are also living with this invisible disability, and of that 650,000, only 16% of autistic adults are in full term employment. As a member of this 16%, working full time with autism is hard.
I already see the world through a different perspective and struggle daily with the social interactions that are required – eye contact is almost impossible and I struggle to find the right words when needed. Working in a high pressured environment like the NHS is challenging and stressful which can lead to a sense of feeling overwhelmed at times.
Autism is a broad spectrum and every autistic person will have different signs and symptoms. Personally, I have had to adapt the way I work to get through the day. For example, I am light and noise sensitive, so I work in an office which is dimly lit and where necessary I wear noise cancelling headphones to protect my ears. Without these adaptations at work every day was a struggle and I would have what is known as ‘shutdowns’ and ‘meltdowns’.
I have never been open about my autism with my work colleagues due to fearing judgement and the stigma that comes with being autistic, however, after a challenging year which lead to a mental breakdown, I decided that I was done masking my autism and with the help of my manager I informed my colleagues of my autism.
Being honest has allowed me to gain back a piece of myself which I had hidden away for so long and my colleagues have been nothing but supportive. There are still days where I struggle with the environment and the communication aspect of work, but I am allowing myself the chance to accept that this is me and who I am is good enough. Being autistic is hard but I have so many qualities and abilities which others lack, which makes me extremely good at my job and a valued member of the team.
For anyone out there who works with an autistic person or is thinking of hiring an autistic person, my advice to you is give us a chance – we will make you proud.
And to those who are autistic and work whether it be full or part time – keep going and be proud of who you are. Autism is a superpower not a disability. |