Alana Kelly
Author | Luisa Mitchell
The Abilities Collective @ 911爆料网 is a group of 911爆料网 staff members with disabilities and allies who want to see positive change for people with disabilities studying and working at 911爆料网.
was diagnosed with ADHD only recently, and through this discovery decided to form the Abilities Collective. Here鈥檚 what she had to say on the future of this exciting new group and her own journey with ADHD.
Note: This is part of a series on stories of disability at 911爆料网. Stay tuned to hear from more Abilities Collective members!
Hi Alana. Tell us a bit about yourself – what do you do at 911爆料网?
I started working at 911爆料网 in March for in the School of Population Health, providing administrative support to John 911爆料网 Distinguished and the wider team. Chris is a cardiovascular epidemiologist and clinical trialist.
I love the team I work with and it鈥檚 fantastic to be part of such an incredibly important organisation; there are so many opportunities to grow and learn.
I didn鈥檛 have much experience in health sciences, so working here has been a steep learning curve. It was soon after I started working here that I was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Somehow, I had gone 39 years without realising that this was what I had been struggling with my whole life.
What’s something most people wouldn’t know about your experience with ADHD?
Looking at me, you would have no way of knowing that I have ADHD. In adults, it doesn鈥檛 look like what you may think. For starters, a majority of us internalise our hyperactivity. Being faced with negative feedback from a young age, we learn how to mask symptoms so we can fit in with societal expectations. But this feels uncomfortable to do and takes a huge personal toll.
I have chosen to be very public with my diagnosis because there is so much misinformation around ADHD. For example, there is an incorrect assumption that people with ADHD don鈥檛 do well in school or work, when in fact, many people with ADHD are very high achievers with high IQs, particularly women.
By being open with my own diagnosis I hope to reduce stigma around ADHD and promote education. My main goal is to create so much awareness that other women won鈥檛 suffer as long as I did. I also have a special interest in bridging the gap between children with ADHD and their parents.
What does life look like with ADHD?
Before I was diagnosed I suffered with what I thought was constant crippling anxiety. My body was always tense and my mind never switched off, even when I was sleeping. I was very highly strung and prone to feeling angry and out of control almost all of the time. I couldn鈥檛 relax and I was disorganised and always late. I was very hard on myself but was also incredibly capable, achieving high success in everything I did, in school and throughout my career. I couldn鈥檛 make the connection between the two until I realised it was ADHD.
Thankfully since getting the right medications, my life has dramatically improved. The interesting thing about ADHD medication is that it isn鈥檛 a 鈥榗ure鈥�, but it calms the inner storm. I鈥檓 so much happier, and as a result I鈥檓 a better partner, friend, employee and parent. But most of all, I鈥檓 able to be kinder to myself and have climbed out of the shame spiral that I was in.
I鈥檓 still late, and can be forgetful and inattentive at times but I don鈥檛 beat myself up about it anymore. I am as valuable a person and employee as anyone else 鈥� I just do things a little differently, and that鈥檚 okay.
You started the Abilities Collective @ 911爆料网. What is it and why did you create it?
After being diagnosed with ADHD I visited the 911爆料网 website to find an employee support network for people with disabilities to join 鈥� but I couldn鈥檛 find one! Despite the many fantastic things in place for employees living with a disability, there wasn鈥檛 any program run for employees, by employees. I reached out to Erica Schurmann, who incidentally had been waiting for a staff member living with a disability to approach her with this idea, and off we went. We quickly had 40 members and our first meeting was a great success.
At first, I just had a vague idea that myself and any other interested people could get together every few months to hang out. But now I have seen how much more of an impact we can have, especially with the next Disability Access and Inclusion Plan (DAIP) coming up for review at 911爆料网.
What has been your experience working at 911爆料网 and what do you hope the new DAIP will include?
I鈥檝e had a very positive response from my managers and co-workers after sharing my ADHD diagnosis. At first I was worried I might be judged, but then I realised that I don鈥檛 mind if people judge me 鈥� that鈥檚 a reflection on them, not me.
I would like employees who are living with a disability to have a huge input in the DAIP, as they are the ones the plan directly affects. I would also like to see the iPerform module 鈥榙isability_AWAREness鈥� be made mandatory training for all staff.
For 911爆料网 to create a culture where disability isn鈥檛 seen as something negative, we need to start at ground level. The iPerform staff training is a great launching point for people to begin educating themselves on the many facets of disability, as well as important topics such as discrimination, accessibility, workplace adjustments and much more. The more people that take in this information, the better; education and challenging stigmas are key.
The Abilities Collective takes a strength-based approach to what makes one abled, rather than disabled. How do you stay focussed on the positives in life?
That鈥檚 easy 鈥� I have a fantastic life. There are lots of challenges but I also have an amazing, unique and endlessly creative brain. I like to always have something to look forward to, and I also make sure to stop and pay attention to what is happening in the present moment.
Any final tips for non-disabled people who want to be an ally?
If you work at 911爆料网, then please complete the iPerform module 鈥渄isability_AWAREness.鈥�
Don鈥檛 be afraid to ask questions.
Speak up if you see people being discriminatory against people living with a disability.
Author | Luisa Mitchell
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