Celebrating neurodiversity week

The RCVS Mind Matters Initiative (MMI) held a series of activities to mark Neurodiversity Celebration Week 2021, which runs from 15th – 21st March this year.

Mind Matters

The RCVS Mind Matters Initiative (MMI) held a series of activities to mark Neurodiversity Celebration Week 2021, which runs from 15th – 21st March this year.

A panel discussion on autism in the professions, hosted by Rosie Allister, was held on 16 March from 12:30pm to 1:30pm, and I attended this session. It’s so important that we hear the accounts and experiences from those with autism, and from this have a better understanding of how we can ensure their talents are nurtured, and that they are supported within our profession.

MMI also held a session on dyslexia, hosted by BVA president James Russell and vet Rory Cowlam (Rory the vet from CBBC’s The Pets Factor), which took place on 18 March.

MMI manager Lisa Quigley said: “This is the first year that we are doing specific events for Neurodiversity Celebration Week, and we are glad to have some wonderful guests who can really speak to their lived experience of autism and dyslexia.”

Student veterinary nurse account

MMI have also published a blog written by student veterinary nurse Debbie Martin, which offers a really enlightening insight into the challenges of studying and working in the profession as someone who is autistic, but also, and just as importantly, the wonderful qualities that an autistic person can bring to their work. This blog is definitely worth a read and you can access it here.

What does neurodiverse mean?

According to the ADHD Foundation, approximately 1 in 20 people are neurodiverse, and the term can be used to describe those who have one or more of the following:

  • Dyslexia
  • Dyscalculia
  • ADHD
  • Autism
  • Tourette’s Syndrome
  • Dyspraxia
  • Dysgraphia

(ADHD Foundation, 2021)

Further resources

The Foundation offers a useful overview of neurodiversity, what it means and how we can encourage and support inclusion of those from neurodiverse groups here.

The site also provides an A5 flyer download, which offers an overview of the aim of Neurodiversity Celebration Week, so maybe this is something you can download and put up in your practice or workplace during next year’s celebration.

You can also find an account from a student as a neurodiversity pledge here.

We all have a responsibility to be as inclusive as we can, and to gain knowledge about diverse challenges which we may not currently understand from our own experiences. Let your journey begin, and let’s all consider how we can make our profession inclusive and supportive to everyone, whether it be consideration of gender, disability, ethnicity or neurodiversity or any other differences that people may have, whether they be visible or invisible.

Blog written by Jill Macdonald DipAVN (Surgical) RVN FHEA
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