Neurodiversity Celebration Week
This week the College have enjoyed getting involved in Neurodiversity Celebration Week. This is a worldwide initiative that challenges stereotypes and misconceptions about neurological differences.
Our Project Search Supported Internship students are aged 17-24 years old and have an EHCP. The interns are gaining valuable work experience and developing their skills working at Hillingdon Council. This week the interns took part in a discussion about neurodiversity and what it means to different people. The interns wrote about what being neurodiverse means to them, these are some of the comments they shared:
“For me, being neurodiverse is a good thing because it makes me different in a good way. I am proud of being neurodiverse because I see the world in a different way than most people.”
“My strengths as a person are that I am creative, kind, helpful, hardworking, polite and trustworthy. I am Neurodiverse and have moderate learning difficulties.”
“As a neurodiverse person and an intern for Project Search, working for the council, I initially felt quite nervous. New situations make me nervous, especially in a workplace, and meeting new people can be stressful. I may also find it challenging to interpret people’s facial expressions and understand what they want me to do at work. It may take me some extra time to process information or answer questions, but with practice, I can get there.
Being neurodiverse has its benefits! For example, I have a talent for understanding history topics like World War 1 and World War 2. I’m also great at being creative, whether it’s making PowerPoints or drawing what’s on my mind. These activities help me feel calm and relaxed, especially after a long day of work.”
“My preferred method of learning is visually orientated, so I learn faster with steps broken down and pictures. This way, I can understand the topic and complete the task accurately.
“When I am making new connections with others, I feel nervous and need encouragement to approach people to communicate with them. At first, I try and keep my conversation simple and to the point, however after I ‘break the ice’ I start to feel more comfortable and can talk freely.”