By Andy Marsh
Chief Constable, Avon & Somerset Constabulary

Monday 26^th March marks the start of World Autism Awareness Week. Last year around this time, Sgt Adam O’Loughlin wrote about his own diagnosis and experience of autism; in his blog, Adam decried those people who call it a disorder. He said there’s nothing wrong with him, but explained that autism is a lifelong developmental disability that affects how a person experiences the world around them and how they communicate and relate to others. He said: “I am quirky, I am different, but I am not less”.

The blog prompted lots of comments: people welcomed Adam’s honesty and openness, and shared their own experiences or those of family and friends. Since then, Adam’s become our first Force Lead for autism, and the National Police Autism Association’s Communications Officer.

It’s a shocking fact that 86% of autistic people are unemployed, but thankfully neurodiversity – encompassing conditions such as autism, dyslexia, dyspraxia and ADHD – is recognised now in definitions of diversity and inclusion. Understanding and being more aware of the condition of autism is important: it helps us recognise and understand the condition in others, including detainees. In the last year, Avon & Somerset Constabulary has carried out a review of the risk assessment for detainees. In the past they haven’t been asked if they’ve ever been diagnosed with autism. Asking them about their mental health isn’t enough – many people with autism would say no to a learning disability and mental health question; autism is neither and so the condition goes undisclosed.

So once again we’re leading the way nationally. From now on anyone booked into custody in Avon & Somerset who discloses they’re autistic, or who a custody officer suspects of being autistic, will be treated as vulnerable and an appropriate adult will be called to give them support. Work is underway nationally to change the risk assessment to include this additional question, but we’re not waiting for that.

It’s this kind of determination and innovative thinking that’s helped us achieve a steady improvement in the outcomes of our HMIC PEEL inspections over the last couple of years. At the time of writing, HMIC are due to publish the results of their Effectiveness Inspection; they reviewed our effectiveness in investigating crime and reducing re-offending; at protecting those who are vulnerable from harm, and supporting victims; and at tackling serious organised crime. The results are embargoed until tomorrow so I can’t give you any details other than to say we were found to be GOOD in all three categories, an improvement on last year when we were only good in two of the three.

I’ve been quite open about my ambition for us to become an outstanding Force. But it’s much more than just an HMIC finding: we already have many outstanding people doing an outstanding job – like Adam and many, many more Avon & Somerset officers, staff and volunteers. Last week at the Bristol Awards I heard some remarkable stories from our own people and members of the general public. Lots of Royal Humane Society awards for lifesaving and bravery and two Crown Court Commendations, both for investigations into historic sex offences, one dating back to when I was still at school. And of course in Wiltshire your support, and support from 14 other Forces, has been a very public demonstration of our outstanding British police service. To all those of you who have been involved, cancelling rest days to be there when you were needed, thank you again.

I know resources are tight and a lack of them sometimes limit our ability to do everything we’d like to. All we can do is aim to be the best we can be. And that’s good enough for me; if that’s our shared aim then I don’t think there’s any doubt of reaching my – our – ambition to be outstanding.

This blog was originally published on the Avon & Somerset Constabulary intranet – reproduced here with kind permission of Avon & Somerset Constabulary

by James R. Mahoney
Executive Director and Head of Autism at Work, JPMorgan Chase

A couple of years ago, I learned a startling statistic: the unemployment rate for individuals with some form of autism – often called Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) – is estimated to be between 80 to 90 percent. While it’s shameful and disheartening that any subset of people would face such a challenge, what’s even more startling about that statistic is that many of these individuals are simply brilliant people – highly educated, highly capable, detail-oriented, yet unemployed.

But my employer JPMorgan Chase, like many successful organisations, looks at situations like this one and sees opportunity. Because of our size and continued growth, we have an almost constant need for talented employees – especially in technology-related fields. We thought that perhaps this could become a new untapped pool of talent.

And it has: since rolling out our initiative, Autism at Work – a program focused on hiring employees with autism – we have hired more than 30 individuals who have ASD, and we anticipate hiring hundreds more across the globe over the coming years.

Autism manifests itself in many different forms; no two autistic individuals face the same exact challenges. To quote: “If you’ve met one person with autism, you’ve met one person with autism.” These challenges may explain why unemployment for this community is so high.

Melanie, a Columbus, Ohio-based Chase employee whose daughter is autistic, explained that just getting past an interview can be difficult, especially if the interviewer is unaware of the applicant’s ASD. Her high-functioning daughter rocks back and forth and side-to-side, stutters, frequently says ‘um’ and has difficulty making eye contact. “I taught her to say, ‘Hi. I’m Billie and I have autism spectrum disorder. Just so you know I’m not weird or quirky.'”

Through partnerships with organisations that have more experience in working with individuals with ASD, we are learning to look beyond the traditional interview process to find highly qualified employees. We work closely with senior leaders across the firm to identify roles that would benefit from the talents of ASD adults and ensure we provide an inclusive work environment for these employees to thrive.

The embracement of this untapped workforce allows our company to benefit from the unique blend of talents provided by these detail-oriented, rule-bound, logical and independent-thinking individuals. And it is paying off: many studies show that the performance of autistic individuals in certain functions exceeds their peers without autism.

Jon, a quality assurance analyst at Chase, said his strongest attribute is to assess situations and come up with the best possible solutions in order to make them more organised and more efficient. “I would encourage anyone on the spectrum to embrace what makes them different and see it as their greatest strength,” he said. “I firmly believe that companies could always benefit from having employees who see things in an unconventional way, which is something to remember any time an individual on the spectrum is seeking a job.”

“I firmly believe that companies could always benefit from having employees who see things in an unconventional way, which is something to remember any time an individual on the spectrum is seeking a job.”

The Autism At Work program opens a door for those who may not be the best at traditional interviews, to show off their unique skills in a workplace environment. Some people on the spectrum simply are not given a chance to shine through conventional means. This program is a great way to facilitate that. The success of Jon and others confirm that their skillset simply requires an environment in which to contribute and thrive.

And that provides a winning solution for all of us. ∎

James R. Mahoney oversees the Autism at Work program to identify roles for which people on the autism spectrum would add high value, as well as develop candidate pipelines and ensure best practices for ongoing support. James has been with the firm for five years, serving in a variety of roles, most recently as Chief Quality Officer for Mortgage Banking Technology. Prior to joining JPMC, he held various leadership positions in the technology and business sectors, spanning a career of nearly three decades.

This blog was originally published on the JP Morgan website – it is reproduced here with kind permission of the author

Nigel Colston is Chief Inspector for Neighbourhood Policing with Avon & Somerset Constabulary. As an officer on the autistic spectrum, he talks about how he overcame the challenges associated with his condition and how being autistic brings unique strengths to his role

By way of introduction, many people know me as an “autistic officer”. That isn’t meant in any disparaging way, how could it when I often call myself this! I want to use my position as an autistic officer in a positive way to promote the fact that with the right support, people can get on in this organisation. When I started as a police officer in 1988, I didn’t actually know that I was “disabled”. Even when I found out I was autistic, I was surprised to learn that the condition is considered a disability, because for me it is just part of who and what I am. I really only use the word disability now because it’s the lawful way to categorise me.

When I told a few friends in confidence that I was autistic, their response was an ironic lack of surprise. I had somehow, miraculously, succeeded with my professional career and had even been promoted to sergeant by this stage. Until then, I always had this strong feeling that I was personally responsible for everything – “you haven’t investigated that crime”, that’s my fault for not checking; “you didn’t arrest that suspect”, that’s my fault for not telling you to. I found it incredibly difficult to mix socially with the team. I couldn’t understand why I was unable to hear a conversation in a pub that everyone else was fully engaged in: it turns out that I also suffer from sensory processing disorder as well. Despite achieving good results with my work I never considered myself good enough. That made my role, and my life, quite difficult to say the least.

Having had the diagnosis, I was at last able to start understanding the different way in which my brain worked, and I was able to recognise, adapt and create ways in which I could manage some of this. More importantly, for the first time I began to recognise some of the positives that my neurodiversity offered. I am able to compartmentalise emotions and quickly distinguish relevant and irrelevant information – great when attending critical incidents. Contrary to popular belief, many people on the autistic spectrum are capable of empathy, but often to a state where they are over-empathetic. This is great when helping support colleagues, victims, friends and family, but has a huge impact afterwards because I genuinely feel as if many of those things have happened to me. It is a constant battle of emotions in my case: severe anxiety in regards to my personal life, fighting huge self-confidence with regards to work.

It will be a wonderful day when such distinctions make absolutely no difference to how people, society and organisations view any sort of variance to the perceived ‘norm’. I was once called up for jury service and was disqualified – not because I may be biased due to my 20 years as a police officer, but because officially I had a ‘disease of the mind’. Somewhat ironic that I am judged fit enough to build an evidential case against people, but not to determine whether they are innocent or guilty!

Despite all of this, I wouldn’t change the way I am. But that is personal to me and I understand others may feel differently.

What I will say (and really the main point of my blog) is that I have received absolutely fantastic support from colleagues, managers and the organisation as a whole which eventually enabled me to become a Chief Inspector. I can say with absolute certainty that I would not have got through the recent promotion boards without that support and a number of reasonable adjustments being made; but I hope that the end result for the organisation has been positive overall. That’s why I try to offer myself as an example of what can be achieved with the right support.

I am now the Vice-Chair of the Avon & Somerset Constabulary branch of the Disabled Police Association, a support network for staff aimed at promoting and supporting colleagues with any sort of disability. We are really keen to hear from anyone affected by any disability, and sadly we often hear about cases where people haven’t had the same positive support that I was fortunate enough to receive. Please – if there is one message that I ask you to take away, it is to contact the DPA if you are disabled or managing someone who is and you need any advice or support. Since I started as a PC within Avon & Somerset we come a long way, but there is still a way to go.

December 3^rd 2017 was International Day of People with Disability which is recognised by many support groups, associations and employers across the country. The awareness day aimed to promote an understanding of disability issues and rally support for the dignity, rights and well-being of disabled people. Last year’s theme focused on the benefits of integrating disabled people in every aspect of political, social, economic and cultural life, and the contribution these individuals make. Along with the DPA, we want to celebrate and invest in our employer networks and resource groups, and to build a community of disabled employees both in the UK and across the globe.

Perhaps it’s no coincidence that a story appeared in the news which announced Government plans to get one million more disabled people in work over the next 10 years. Ignoring the politics that may be behind some of this (seriously, don’t get me started), there is a clear recognition that disabled people can offer so much to the workplace. If I could take one quote from the report it is that “everyone deserves the chance to find a job that’s right for them.”

This blog was originally published on the Avon & Somerset Constabulary website – reproduced here with kind permission of Avon & Somerset Constabulary