Disability History Month 2023

Aabida Patel, Senior Business Analyst, Registry

I enjoy being artsy and creative, and I’m always looking for unique activities to explore across London such as jewelry making, pottery painting, digital art exhibitions, and cooking classes. Recently, I discovered a joy for quilling, which involves creating designs using strips of paper that are rolled, shaped and glued together. My most favorite passion, hobby, and interest is going to watch musical productions! I am also Autistic and have ADHD.

My adjustments were agreed with the help of the Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity Centre (EDIC). After I contacted them, EDIC arranged a specialist workplace assessment for me with Autism Plus. The assessment took about two hours and was carried out virtually. They asked questions and helped me understand how I have masked my disability and adjusted my own behaviours and routines to suit the workplace, in place of having workplace adjustments implemented. Autism Plus wrote a comprehensive and detailed report and, with my consent, shared this document with my line manager. They also met with my line manager to discuss the recommendations and their implementation. 

My recommended adjustments included a quiet area in the office where I can go if I am overstimulated, and having the autonomy to step away from my workspace when things are overwhelming or overstimulating.

I didn't know what I needed in terms of adjustments. I would recommend letting the specialists ask the right questions to help you figure out what you may need. 

My favourite thing that has been done in my department is the Neurodiversity Awareness Training that has been arranged specifically for managers and staff in my department. The uptake and responsiveness to the training has been extremely reassuring. I have recognised so much willingness to learn.

Sarah Essilfie-Quaye, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Research Fellow, Faculty of Medicine

I play hockey at local and regional masters level. I love shopping, an interest which is shared with my mum and sister! I'm not a pet person, but somehow I got talked into letting my children have a kitten!

I was diagnosed with ADHD relatively recently and since then have also been diagnosed with Dyslexia, Dyspraxia and Mental Health issues.

I’m still working on having workplace adjustments put into place. So far, I have received support from EDIC who arranged for me to have a Workplace Needs Assessment. This led to coaching sessions, which are really helpful.

It's important for line managers to understand that the "usual way of working" may not benefit everyone. Instead, the focus should be on working with the person that is needing support to identify and put effective adjustments in place.

Gavin Reed, Enterprise Marketing and Communications Manager, Enterprise

Outside of work I play guitar, and enjoy cooking, creative writing, comedy and football.

I have ADHD and some of the agreed adjustments I have in place are: 

• Large pc monitor to block visual distractions and help with multi-tasking.
• Agreement that I can wear noise-cancelling headphones when needed, which helps with distractions.
• Agreement for a delayed start time and general flexibility with my working hours, as long as work is completed. This helps me to manage my time and workload effectively.  
• Flexibility on departmental hotdesking policy to allow me to keep whiteboards/notes on a fixed desk.

To get these adjustments put in place, I had a Workplace Needs Assessment which was arranged through EDIC. Following the assessment and report, I proposed some suggestions to my line manager and these were agreed.

The adjustments are helpful but they are just one part of the picture and aren’t a magic fix for everything. There are still a lot of barriers that exist in the workplace and society as a whole. I have to do a lot of things to help myself which fall outside of the 'workplace adjustments' category. These include telling colleagues I have ADHD, advocating for my needs, developing clear expectations and responsibilities, asserting myself when I need more detail, and agreeing with colleagues that if work isn't my planner then it functionally does not exist. 

The most beneficial outcomes in the workplace have come not from adjustments like different equipment, but from addressing attitudinal barriers and being able to talk to colleagues about what my condition is, what it means, and how we can all take steps to manage it. I have found it difficult to be open about the difficulties ADHD brings me, but initiatives like the Imperial Values help a lot here - I feel quite safe talking about my condition.

Accessing workplace adjustments involves learning about your needs and how to advocate for them. That can be difficult, especially if like me you were diagnosed late in life. I had no experience of advocating for my needs, and I honestly found it difficult to answer some of the questions intended to identify what my additional needs were. But the folks doing the Workplace Needs Assessments are familiar with these issues. If I were to go through the process again, I'd tell myself to be honest about the difficulties I encounter and hopeful about the willingness of my department and colleagues to support me.

What has been really helpful for me is recognising that adjustments aren't made to bring me up to standard but to empower me perform to my highest standard, and that as I gain a more thorough understanding of my condition, I can provide further feedback and information to my manager and team to continue enabling this.

Line manager's perspective

Natasha Martineau, ‪Associate Director of Enterprise Marketing & Communications

The adjustments suggested by Gavin’s Workplace Needs Assessment were fairly easy to implement. Gavin told me what he needed, we obtained quotes, and then we implemented physical changes to the workplace. I continue to check in regularly to see how things are going and whether anything else might be useful in addition to physical adjustments.

As a line manager, it’s useful to think how you can set your direct report up for success by understanding their needs, whatever their situation - what helps them, and what doesn’t. I use this understanding when thinking about how I can provide flexibility in working pattern, effectively assign work, check in on progress, and how we discuss things in the wider group. This is particularly useful to consider when thinking about how we collectively manage workload at times of bottlenecks or high demand.

My advice for managers working with disabled staff is to create an open and trusted space for discussing problems and possible solutions. Make it easy for your direct reports to talk about their disability or any other personal circumstances. Be relaxed about not knowing everything about it. Ask them to help you understand things in detail and check back in to make sure you've understood the situation correctly.

I believe this approach has helped to demonstrate within Enterprise Marketing and Communications  that we have an inclusive culture, that we can all be flexible in helping to accommodate people's individual situations, life stories, disabilities and conditions. Feedback suggests  that we have established an environment and culture where people feel they can ask for things that would improve their working lives.