Leigh is helping change the narrative

Leigh joined Affinity Trust as a PBS practitioner, before being diagnosed with Autism aged 44. She loves her job and has since been promoted to her current role.

She said “For many years, I felt like I didn’t fit in. I was reprimanded at school and home for problems and situations I either didn’t even notice or that I couldn’t comprehend.

“Diagnosis is not just a label; it’s validation, it’s understanding, it’s self-forgiveness and it has changed my life.”

Leigh is now a champion for the Neurodiverse community and has started a group for colleagues who are neurodiverse as well working with HR to develop the policy.

She said “I feel compelled to try to change the negative narrative surrounding neurodiversity and especially Autism. I grew up thinking and being treated like a horse and failing. Always knowing I was different, and then I was told I was a zebra, and the world just made much more sense.”