"I've worked for Leicestershire County Council since I was 17, moving to the Digital team in May 2020 as a content designer. I am part of a team that looks after the council’s website - nothing goes on without our approval! Staff from all areas of the council contact our team and we work with them to build web pages that fit the overall “vibe” of the site. We work hard to make sure all pages are accessible and can be used by people all over the county, by ensuring language is simple and direct, and tagged appropriately for accessibility aids like screen readers.
My favourite part of the job is working with teams across the Council. It really helps my novelty-seeking brain as one week I can be learning about tree planting initiatives and the next looking at social care approaches.
I got my ADHD diagnosis after years of knowing there was something not quite typical. Getting diagnosed as an adult can feel like you almost have to relearn everything you've learned in your life. You've learned what to do and what not to do. Then being diagnosed in adulthood – that learning was me ‘masking’ and now I've got to learn what rules really apply to me.
Everything I have done has been driven by passion and a need for further understanding. I've found a love of advocacy through being a co-chair. I'm really grateful for that. My personal progression has coincided with my professional progression; the advocacy side of the DWG has pushed me to advocate for myself more.
Being a co-chair of the Disabled Workers’ Group also includes planning and chairing meetings, figuring out support paths for people. As co-chairs, we work as one shared brain. We're all from different departments; we all have our roles to play. I'm really lucky to have them.
Our meetings provide support for disabled staff. We have different events or conversations that we talk about. At the end of meetings, we stick around for about an hour. Time with the network provides a valuable space for people to connect – which is a real boost for wellbeing and supporting development. We can also see something being brought up in a meeting and then we can push for it. To see that make an impact in the wider council – it's really cool.
Trust is really important for disabled employees. It takes a lot for a disabled member of staff to be open about their disability and their needs. So your manager has to be in your corner because they have to represent you too.
It’s really important that we just meet each other on the same level – that’s why we hold these events, like for the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. People live in Leicestershire that are disabled, and I think the Council has to be reflective of the county to be able to support it in the right way. It's the people that make the Council what it is."
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