Youth Patron for Ambitious about Autism speaks at autism awareness event in Parliament

Autism Awareness Speech Mr. Speaker, Ladies and Gentlemen, It is an honour and privilege to be able to be here tonight to speak to you about my experiences as an individual on the autistic spectrum. It is not very often that someone on the spectrum has the opportunity to speak in parliament about how they have managed to cope with being on the spectrum.

Tonight I will be speaking about some of the experiences I went through at High School, at university and during the time I have been in London working and living in the city. Some of these experiences have been good whilst others will have been more negative. I will also be using the opportunity tonight to speak about employment and the problems this poses for people on the autistic spectrum given that 85% of people on the spectrum are not in employment. I will also look at what parliament and MPs could do to help my peers and I contribute positively to society.

Being on the autism spectrum is not easy. For 500, 000 people in the UK, like myself, who have autism, the condition brings many challenges. It can affect my peers and I in different ways which makes the condition so unique. The main problems faced by people with autism include communicating and socialising with other people. Making friendships and relationships can be very hard to establish and this can result in anxiety and isolation which can, in some cases result in mental health difficulties. Having autism can make it very hard for my peers and I to feel included within society and play a positive part. It can make us feel like our voices are not being heard which is very depressing.

For me, being on the autistic spectrum has been understandably challenging but as I have 1

grown up I have managed to develop coping strategies which have enabled me to manage the condition without it being totally obvious to people.

I was first identified as being on the autistic spectrum when I was in second year of High School which made me realise that there was something behind why I was not making friends, not socialising and being in a quite isolated position. I was also bullied by fellow pupils who made fun of me because I acted differently. That was very difficult and I did get upset. I often walked home instead of getting the school bus in fear of being subject to taunts by people who thought I was a freak, a geek and odd. Being identified as being on the autistic spectrum did mean that I got the support that I needed from teaching staff and special needs staff to cope with the social aspects of school life. That was a massive help in making me gain the confidence to start speaking to fellow pupils. The teaching staff in the music department really encouraged me to perform my fiddle at official school functions.

This helped me gain respect from the pupils who couldn’t quite understand, in fact i don’t think many people did, how I could go on stage in front of an audience and perform my violin in front of lots of people. For me, performing my fiddle allowed me and still does to this day, allow me to communicate with people. It helps me relax and is a useful tool for me to relax especially if I have had a bad day. It was through music that I made new friends at the school and made life a lot easier as I moved through school.

As my confidence started to build in the latter stages of school, I started to do more and I joined the schools volunteers group which meant that I helped organise charity coffee mornings and visit care homes to speak to the people there. That was invaluable in so far that I realised that I could do it, that I could participate in the life of the school community.

2

I also started to develop an interest in politics in the senior stages of school and started to join in with debates on a variety of subjects including Europe, Scotland, Equality issues, issues surrounding social class etc. I was academically competent so had no problem debating important issues but I think the debating in a sense allowed me to improve my communication skills as well as making me think on my feet. When I mentioned that I was academically competent, I also did well in school exams especially in music, geography, history, politics and English. I did have one disaster when it came to my fifth year SQA exam results when I passed two exams and failed the other two.1 I was distraught and this made me question my ability to perform in exams and indeed my overall intelligence. I could have given up and said goodbye to my chances of going to university. However ,in my final year of High School which was spent in a specialist traditional music school in the Highlands, I fought back and gained three excellent passes to ensure that I got a place at university.

When a barrier gets put up, I’m usually very quick in trying to take it back down.

My time at the traditional music school was excellent and here I developed my musical skills along with building my confidence in group work activities which did prove challenging at times as group work does not come easily to people with autism .It was at the music school that I was officially diagnosed with having Asperger’s Syndrome and that was quite an emotional moment for myself and my parents. However, I knew that I was determined to show that having the condition would be no barrier to me going on to university and being successful there.

University was definitely a very interesting experience and there were enormous challenges that I had to face. For one, I struggled socially for the first two years of university. I was 1

SQA stands for Scottish Qualifications Authority. In 5th and 6th year school pupils may take Higher exams which help them gaih entry to university if the passes are at an appropriate grade (a-c)

3

good academically but I couldn’t quite grasp the social side of student life. This again made me a target for funny comments and taunts from students who couldn’t understand why I behaved the way that I did. I struggled in university accommodation. My sleeping pattern was thrown all over the place as flatmates and others partied into the small hours of the morning. This did cause me stress and did make me upset. How I managed to avoid a nervous breakdown is testament to my sheer courage and determination to fight on. I managed to alert my tutors and accommodation staff who were wonderful in providing me with support and guidance. During the course of my time at university I probably moved about to different accommodation a bit more than what most students are used to. Was it necessary to move about? Yes. Was it inconvenient? Most definitely but I had little choice but to do so. In the final two years of university I developed and matured as a person and I found confidence to make new friends, to go out an socialise and engage in student politics.

I learned a lot during my time in student politics but I didn’t enjoy it as it involved personality battles, back stabbing and general all round lack of decent and intellectual debate.

Academically I enjoyed university. I loved reading and dare I say it, writing essays and presentations. I loved discussing with my politics and law tutors issues surrounding material that was being debated in class. Two of the happiest memories for me in academic terms was gaining a 1st class honours pass in an essay I had to do for Trade Union law which covered the trade union legislation and key events in the 1980s and gaining a 2:1 pass for my law dissertation on the 2010 Equality Act and its implications for people with autism.

The dissertation in particular was a piece of work that I could have struggled with due to the pressure that was involved. I was a credit to myself in that I remained calm and dedicated to making sure that my dissertation was the best that it could be and that I had an excellent

4

dissertation supervisor. The studying I put in throughout my time in university enabled me to graduate with a 2:1 BA (Hons) degree in Law and Politics and was a very proud moment for me to achieve this despite the challenges that I had been through.

When I left university I had to decide what I had to do. I always had an ambition to move to London and work in the political world or in the public/private sector. It was luck that I saw the Speakers Parliamentary Placement Scheme advertised in the local job centre and I decided to put an application in. I was absolutely delighted that having got through two interview stages that I was accepted onto the scheme. For my first job to be in London and in parliament is quite incredible. Before I moved down to London I had to discuss the transition with my parents because periods of change can be very stressful for people with autism if they are not carefully planned. I am really happy with how I have settled in to London life but there have been challenges too. I have had to get used to meeting new people, dealing with phone calls and emails as well a negiotating my way through the thousands of tourists that walk along the streets of London. I am privileged to be working in Hazel’s office. To work for an ex-Secretary of State who has so much political experience is Awesome and I have learned a lot from Hazel and I hope that I have done my very best to show her that someone with autism can work hard and succeed working in a parliamentary office. My warmest thanks to Hazel and her entire office team for their support and hope they can all remain proud of me in the coming period of time. Working in parliament has enabled me to grow in confidence and develop as a person. It has exposed me to new political ideas too which will only help me in the years ahead for when I try and become an MP.

5

I am very lucky that I have some wonderful friends down in London who have helped to support me as I settled into London. I have had a wonderful time in their great company and that is much appreciated. To have such good friends is a great comfort to me because I know that if I was ever to encounter trouble of any kind that my friends would try and assist in the best way that they could. I have also made new friends too and I am delighted that through a chance encounter with a young female violinist on Hungerford Bridge a few weeks back that my music will take off again when I come back down from Scotland after Easter. I am now more open to new ideas and to going to events which I haven’t been too before. I may get anxious beforehand but I look forward to attending the “Glyndebourne” Festival in East Sussex in May (black tie event so I’m going up in the world) and the Proms in July.

Looking to the future then it is my sincere hope that I can continue to be happy, settled and successful. I maybe, like my peers, eccentric, a bit odd but I am absolutely determined that, with the support of my family and friends, that I can move forward and hopefully one day become an MP. I have a strong determination and fighting spirit to show that someone with my condition can go through a selection process, get selected, get into parliament and make a very good MP. Before anyone asks, no I won’t be trying to stand for parliament in 2015.

2020 is the date that I will be aiming for! I also hope to get married, have kids and have a nice house. These may seem insanely daft ambitions to have but nevertheless these are the things I am keen to do.

I have talked a bit about my personal experiences and now want to talk briefly about two issues which I feel passionately about: autism and employment and how parliament can play its part in helping people with autism.

6

Autism and employment is an issue which is serious. Only 15% of people with autism are in any form of employment. This is a damning statistic which brings shame on our nation and our society. In a report published in 2009 entitled “Economic costs of Autism” the evidence found that the annual cost of autism to the UK economy was £28 billion. Now if that’s enough to make people sit up then the following piece of evidence should make people get off their seats and take action. The report found that lost productivity for those with autism cost the economy-wait for this-an eye watering £10 billion! To me this makes for very depressing reading. We cannot possibly let this continue especially in the challenging economic times that grip our country. We need to act. As a nation and as a society we cannot allow so much talent to go to waste.

However, there are signs that things may be moving in the right direction. There is a new generation of people with autism, including myself, who have been to university, graduated with good degrees and are now pushing hard to get jobs, on the same level as our nondisabled peers may I say. This new generation wants to show that people with autism can be successful in employment. We possess a number of excellent qualities that were outlined in a speech that Lord Freud made last year. The Welfare Minister stated: “Employers need to know that it makes good business sense to employ people who are reliable, punctual and loyal; people who have good attention to detail and concentration levels; people who have excellent problem solving skills and can be analytical, resourceful and creative. What good employer wouldn’t want an employee with these skills.”2

2

Lord David Freud: Minister for Welfare Reform, DWP, Speech at National Autistic Society Parliamentary Reception on 20th of March 2012. Accessed at: http://dwp.gov.uk/newsroom/ministers-speeches/2012/20-0312.shtml

7

In a recent article in the Guardian newspaper, there were a number of really good examples of this new generation making its way in the world of employment. 3Take for example Penny Andrews who has Aspergers Syndrome and Dyspraxia. She has become a graduate trainee librarian at Leeds Met University and managed to beat off 200 applications for the job. Another example would be Jonathan Young who is a business analyst at Goldman Sachs. His confidence is high and says that he 4

wants to keep the momentum going; “In 10 years, I want to be someone fairly big.” Now is that not good to hear? As the Guardian stated, and in my opinion they are quite correct to say this, is that Jonathan is “part of the most visible generation of young people with autism our society has ever 5

known.” My generation are forcing employers to change their perceptions that our condition can be a barrier to us being good employees. That is good. However, I want to emphasise that all of us have a duty to ensure that this forward momentum continues apace. Whilst my generation may be fighting hard to bring about change, parliament, businesses and charities need to do far more to help us fulfil our potential and talents in the workplace. If we want to improve upon the 15% of people in employment statistic then we are simply going to have to create more opportunities either through the creation of more apprenticeships/internships/jobs that would be suited to people on the spectrum. We also need to challenge the poor perceptions that some employers have of autism.

We desperately need to create more training opportunities for employers so that they can begin

to realise what talent they are missing out on. That training doesn’t need to be long nor expensive but it is something that needs to be considered. Sooner rather than later may I add.

3

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2013/mar/08/autism-career-ladder-workplace?INTCMP=SRCH

4

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2013/mar/08/autism-career-ladder-workplace?INTCMP=SRCH

5

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2013/mar/08/autism-career-ladder-workplace?INTCMP=SRCH

8

In terms of what parliament can do to help my peers and me then I think it can play a crucial role. Parliaments across the world are places which can generate positive change for people so that they can get on in life and be happy. In many ways the UK Parliament has done a commendable amount for people on the Autism Spectrum, most notably, with the creation of the Autism Act 2009 and the Autism strategy which followed afterwards. These are crucial steps in the right direction. We have also seen the Government propose changes to the Special Educational Needs system in England and, in principle, these proposals should hopefully help people with autism get the help and support that they deserve within the educational setting and hopefully through apprenticeships too. There is much to be done and the Governments autism strategy is up for review this year. This should be an opportunity to reflect on progress so far, improve the strategy where needed and then move to implementing the strategy as quickly as possible.

One suggestion that I would make is that Parliament and the Government could perhaps look at establishing local autism champions in each local authority area in England who can work with local autism charities, individuals with autism, families, councils , employers and education providers to make sure that the needs of people with autism are met at a local level. This could form an important plank in the Government’s localism agenda. I think that it is crucial that local issues are solved at local Level where ever possible and I think the creation of regional Autism Champions could be a great way of ensuring that help is tailored to local communities and is delivered by someone, in conjunction with various stakeholders such as council, service users and others, who knows the area well and what may work best in the area.

9

I would also like to comment on how MPs might deal with people with autism in meetings and in other formal/informal situations. This can also apply to parliamentary and House staff too. It is crucial to deal with people with autism in a calm and quiet manner. If a person with autism keeps talking (I’ve been guilty of doing this too) it helps to make it absolutely clear from the outset that whilst they would love to speak to the person with autism for a lot longer, that unfortunately they have other appointments to attend. If they make that clear from the off, then they shouldn’t be in a position to deal with an upset or deeply disappointed individual at the end of the meeting. As part of the event legacy information regarding autism will be, after tonight, available on the parliament intranet so that members, their staff and House staff can access it if they need to know more about the condition. The site will also have some links to useful websites which will contain further information.

I don’t have much time left so before I conclude my speech I would like to take this opportunity to thank a few people for their support and assistance. Thanks to Mr. Speaker the Rt. Hon. John Bercow MP for his hugely inspiring speech, to Stella MacDonald, to the House of Commons Diversity and Inclusion team for all their wonderful support, to ParliAble, to Mary MacLeod MP for her support towards autism and the wider equality agenda, to Robert Buckland MP for being so passionate in ensuring that autism is kept high up on the political agenda , to my fellow interns on the Speakers Parliamentary Placement Scheme, to the National Autistic Society, to Ambitious about Autism and my fellow Youth Patrons who are very special people. I must also take this opportunity to thank the Rt Hon. Hazel Blears MP for being such an outstanding boss. Her support alongside the other members of her office team cannot be faulted. They have all been excellent and that is much appreciated. Thanks to all my wonderful friends in Scotland and also down here in 10

London. You guys are the best. I want to pay special tribute.....if I can without breaking down in tears.....to a good friend down here. Melissa Higgs has been like a big sister to me and she is only one of a very few people, who know how I operate. Thanks for everything and for your all help. Last but no means least thanks to my parents. I owe a lot to my parents for everything that they have done to support me over the years and for teaching me the values that have got me where I am today.

In conclusion, I hope you have found my speech informative and interesting. I always feel that it is absolutely crucial to raise awareness of autism at a political level so that politicians can be more informed when making decisions that affect my peers and I. As I said earlier there is a new generation of young autistic people, like me, on the march. There is no doubt that this generation have a strong determination to show parliamentarians, employers and other people in society that we can do it. That we can succeed. What is needed now within the whole of society is a willingness to help my peers and I achieve our aims and ambitions.

That means working as a collective whole. That politicians put aside party politics to try and help get all of my peers into a position where I, they, can contribute positively to society.

We cannot be one nation if we have a group of people who feel isolated and who feel that they cannot achieve their aspirations. I don’t want that. I know you don’t want that. So let us work together to make sure that the United Kingdom can be a society which can truly say its inclusive and autism friendly. Is that too much to ask? Is that beyond our reach? No it isn’t and I know that with courage, with a fighting spirit, with hard work and determination we can all achieve what we all want: a more successful, more aspirational, more tolerant, more accepting nation that has my peers and me at the very heart of its core. Thank you!

11