Neurodiversity Celebrated at the MoD - Jennifer's Story

Hello, my name is Jennifer, and I am a 32-year-old female civil servant working with the Army. I am also Neuro-Divergent.

I have been in the civil service for 9 years and 6 of those have been spent within the MOD and the last 3 specifically working with the Army. I was diagnosed at the age of 27 with ADHD with comorbid Anxiety and Depression Disorder (the latter two having been diagnosed since I was in my late teens) this diagnosis came about due to challenges I faced in my civil servant role.

I am very fortunate that since being with the MOD I have received a primarily positive working experience and treatment by colleagues and managers. This has been significantly more positive since coming to work with the Army.

I am a big advocate of educating and informing others about my ADHD and being open to share my experiences. This has led me to take a more active role in the Defence Disability Network (DDN) and becoming a member of the MOD Neuro Inclusivity Network, as I know that not all have had as positive an experience as I have, and I want to try and change this where I am able.

The main purposes of the DDN and the MOD Neuro Inclusivity Network are to improve awareness and effect change. One challenge is to make sure that anyone with a disability receives the support they need, and that any reasonable adjustments are made for them so that they are able to carry out their work.

I find that being open and honest about my neurodiversity allows for better communication and it is usually miscommunication and misunderstandings that cause the most friction and therefore I try and reduce the possibilities of this happening where I am able. I believe whole-heartedly that people are not mind readers and that unless you communicate with a person how can you expect them to know what is going on. I work closely with my military management chain and colleagues to let them know the best way to manage my neuro-disabilities and how they can support me and get the best from me, and I have received positive feedback from my team for my openness and how, by educating, their awareness has increased.

I would say that ultimately, I am the harshest critic and come down harder on myself compared to the responses from those I work with in the Army. I have found the MOD definitely more accepting and shows a willingness to learn and change to better improve the working experience of staff like me who are Neuro-Divergent.