Sian is one of the Assistant Headteachers at Evergreen School, as part of her role she leads on Autism provision and training.

 

Autism awareness and support for autistic people is one of her passions. She has a Master’s in Education, in Autism in Children, from the University of Birmingham, one of the leading centres for research in the world. Autism is a fascinating condition, and she has never stopped learning from pupils and families supported by her work, applying knowledge and practical skills she helps pupils to access education, as well as enjoying the unique insights and experience of people on the spectrum.

 

She is the parent of a young person with autism, and is now increasingly developing her understanding of autism and issues for the workplace. Adults with autism have an incredible range of skills and abilities to benefit a host of working environments, but statistics suggest that there are many barriers to employment, meaning the percentage of adults with an autism diagnosis in full or part-time work is shockingly low.

 

In a time when society is rightly challenging barriers to employment based on gender or race, amongst others, everybody needs to consider the prejudice faced by the neurodiverse, and to question how we can help to address this.