Hey, It’s Meg your Academic Experience Officer and I’m here to tell you why you should celebrate what makes you unique this Neurodiversity Celebration Week!  

As you may be aware, I am autistic and have selective mutism. This can make life more challenging for me and make it harder for me to achieve my goals. However, I never give up and always try to be the best I can be. Although sometimes life can give you lemons, so you have to make the lemonade, right? 

This is my second favourite week of the year (after Autism Acceptance Week, of course) and I enjoy sharing my experiences as an Officer with additional needs and showcasing that no disability should stand in your way of achieving your dreams and goals. 

In life I believe that you have to be yourself as everyone else is taken! It’s about showcasing your perspectives on the world and letting your light shine and I'm sharing my top tips to help you celebrate yourself: 

Top Tips for celebrating yourself  

• If you are feeling overwhelmed, reach out to someone you trust  

• Be brave to share your experiences and what makes you special!  

• Focus on the small wins, they really do add up!  

It is important to recognise the steps you take to develop yourself whilst doing this in a way that you feel comfortable and can thrive. I am lucky to have the support around me to enable me to work in a way that is less overwhelming and works for me to ensure I can do the best job possible whilst being a role model for students.  

I hope you can celebrate you on this special week and I hope to see you soon! Please do get in touch with me via email at m.darroch@leedsbeckett.ac.uk for a chat. 

 - Meg