My role is as an Area Manager for Amazon at a fulfilment centre in Durham, in the North East of England. I’m also a parent to four children: two sons who are autistic and two daughters who are currently undergoing assessment.

My initial reason for wanting to complete the Essential Autism Licensed User course was to gain the opportunity to train other leaders and managers at my site, providing them with greater awareness and education on how we can better support neurodivergent staff in the workplace. As a parent of children with autism, all I want for their future is for them to feel they have the right support in their future workplace, should they ever need it. Having identified a training shortfall, I completed the Licensed User course and, to date, have trained 39 managers and team members from both operations and support functions. The feedback I have received has been extremely positive and has helped one team leader support an autistic employee who was struggling with sensory overload.

The training itself was excellent and very informative. It’s not a ‘death by PowerPoint’ course but is very much discussion-led, allowing everyone to draw from each other’s experiences. Sarah, the facilitator, was immensely knowledgeable, and her wealth of experience was evident throughout.

Since completing the course, I am looking at further projects to better support our neurodivergent team, one being the implementation of a sensory/mindfulness facility, and another by trialling glare-reducing glasses and Loop headphones. The feedback from autistic employees at MME2 has been extremely positive, with one stating, ‘It has vastly improved my ability to do my job without distraction, and I feel much better going home rather than disorganised and with a headache’. This is a step in the right direction to ensure we put better support mechanisms in place, educate, and eliminate the stigma. On a personal level, if I can make a difference at such a big company as Amazon, it can be done anywhere. More importantly, if I can do it for my children’s future or by making someone’s day better and more manageable, that’s a huge win.