Georgia joined Autistica in 2018 after working in a senior MP's Parliamentary office. She has been involved in autism campaigning for some time, previously serving on Ambitious about Autism's Youth Council and co-presenting Channel 4's 2018 documentary "Are You Autistic?".

Describe what you do.

I lead Autistica’s policy and public affairs programme – turning the latest research into usable policy recommendations for bodies like NHS England and Government departments. I’ve held various roles within Autistica’s policy team over the past five years, most recently managing Embracing Complexity, a coalition of over 60 charities supporting people with neurodevelopmental conditions, before being promoted to the Policy Manager role last April. Managing other people is still really strange, but I’ve been lucky to have a brilliant team who have picked things up very quickly!

How did you get into it?

Initially, through getting involved with the autistic communities online. I then started volunteering for Ambitious about Autism while at university, first writing blogs for their website and later joining the Youth Council. The main project I was part of was a mental health campaign called Know Your Normal, which was also my first taste of research co-production! After years of not knowing what I wanted to do after university, I soon realised it was more of that – working with others to create tangible change and bring an autistic voice to the conversation around autism.

What do you think you bring to Autistica as an autistic person?

I’d like to think I’m really organised (liking calendar scheduling a little too much has become a running joke!), which is definitely handy for juggling multiple projects. When I can focus, I can really focus – whether it’s diving into a new special interest or pulling together a new briefing! I also think lived experience helps to illuminate issues that might otherwise get overlooked, especially over the last few years with autistic people’s needs being sidelined through the pandemic and a string of other crises. In 2020 I ran a COVID-19 survey project for Embracing Complexity, and was surprised that experiences I thought were “just me” came through as major themes!

Have you found that peer support has helped you in your work?

I feel enormously lucky to be part of such a neurodiverse team, and I’ve learned a lot about the vast autistic spectrum and neurodiversity from my Autistica colleagues and my peers in the autism sphere. We all have different strengths and challenges, which makes it easier to ask for help when I’m finding things difficult and to appreciate the things my brain does well. And to recognise those strengths in other people – if you phoned a stranger today I am in awe! Every brain is unique, and that’s amazing. It can take me a while to be that open with someone new, and returning to in-person working after two years and significant team changes was a major challenge at first, but everyone’s been really supportive and that makes a huge difference.

What could employers do to support autistic people at work?

The ability to work, study and socialise from home was put in place instantly when abled people needed it in the pandemic, and gave more autistic people the opportunity to take roles and join events that were not previously made accessible to them. It’s important that we don’t backtrack on this now – it’s not about the merits of remote working or office working, because not everyone has those choices to begin with. More generally, a lot of the time it’s about being open to difference. There’s still a huge stereotype around what “professional” looks like but the way someone talks and moves, their interests and their sensory triggers have very little to do with their ability to do the job!

What advice would you give to an autistic person who is currently looking for employment?

Firstly: you absolutely can ask for the interview questions in advance as a reasonable adjustment. (Autistica now gives them to all candidates automatically, autistic or not!). Being an autistic autism professional can be a very strange blurring of worlds, but I’ve found that openness and bringing my “whole self” to work is often an asset rather than a hindrance. In many cases, it signals to other people that it’s okay for them to be honest about their needs too!

What tips would you give an autistic person who wants to make positive change for the community?

Change can feel like an impossible task. It certainly has for me over the past couple of years but you don’t have to make everything perfect immediately. Every small step counts. The biggest reward for me is when someone says they’ve learned something new from a conversation, a briefing, a post online – and you never know who else is quietly listening too. If your work does end up with a wider audience, some criticism is inevitable, sometimes that’s a learning opportunity, but keep in mind that “making positive change” and “keeping everyone on social media happy” isn’t always the same thing!