FINDING STRENGTH IN BEING NEURODIVERGENT & WHY INCLUSIVE SPACES MATTER IN TECH
FIONA HAMMOND SHARES HER INSPIRED JOURNEY CHAMPIONING NEURODIVERSITY IN TECH AND HOW IT CAN BE YOUR OWN STRENGTH TOO!
In our previous blog, Fiona Hammond captivated us with her inspiring journey into the world of coding and her dedication to mentorship, learning development, and advocacy for neurodivergent inclusion. Today, we delve even deeper into Fiona’s experiences, exploring how her neurodiversity has become a unique strength, the strategies she’s employed to overcome limiting beliefs, and what exciting ventures lie ahead in her coding journey.
Join us as we uncover more of Fiona’s remarkable story and the invaluable insights she has to offer.
Why Is Being Neurodiverse as a Woman in Tech Something We Need to Talk About More?
A huge misconception about neurodiverse conditions is that they are a deficit or disability. These conditions alone are not disabilities, they can have comorbidities and the severity of the condition can be disabling but ultimately, the disabling aspect exists in a society built for neurotypicals.
More positively, there are huge amounts of advantages and great ways of working that NDs can contribute to work and our society.
What Are Your Strengths as a Neurodivergent Woman When It Comes to Coding?
When considering coding, I’ve found that my strengths correlate with ASC (*Autistic Spectrum Condition). Here are a few below:
- Reaching solutions: I often identify alternative ways to solve problems that can also be more efficient!
- Pattern recognition: I regularly find myself highlighting common issues and proposing streamlined processes to help mitigate detrimental effects.
- Consideration: As an individual who regularly experiences some type of struggle in the neurotypical world, I like to think that the processes or work I develop are more considerate of others’ experiences.
- Sharing knowledge with others: As a result of pattern recognition and more consideration for others, I feel that I identify where confusion occurs and can spend more time reiterating and explaining to others.
- Creativity: My brain is wired completely differently from that of neurotypicals, and this means my creativity soars in all sorts of different directions. I value this aspect of my condition—creativity is so motivating and the beauty of it is that there’s never any right or wrong!
Can You Recall a Time When You Encountered Limiting Beliefs Due to Your Neurodivergence? If So, How Did You Overcome Them, and What Did You Learn from the Experience?
In retrospect, there were many times that I experienced limiting beliefs due to my neurodivergence. However, it took 23 years for me to identify that I was actually neurodivergent, so I can only explain these experiences as being due to feeling different from everyone else or feeling less deserving at the time. In hindsight, this is really sad to think, and I am so grateful for my recent diagnosis liberating me and putting things into perspective.
It also feels like a huge juxtaposition because growing up I was super determined, always fought for justice, and would challenge anyone/thing that made me feel as though I wasn’t accepted, but privately, I would regularly dwell on the fact I felt that way. As I got older, more aware of my differences and sought an autism diagnosis, I began feeling less brave and less worthy of my position in society, and imposter syndrome crept in.
This became hugely apparent when it was time to apply for university. I wanted to study photography as I had always loved experimenting with it and studied it at A-Level too. I attended my university interviews and taster days and had one really awful experience which I explored in my blog ‘Thoughts of an Intern’. An apathetic university lecturer made me feel really subpar about my portfolio, followed by offering me an unconditional position but placing emphasis on this being based on my predicted A-Level grades. That really stuck with me, and after viewing all of the amazing photography at all of the universities, I withdrew my UCAS applications and decided I wasn’t going to university. What the heck!
I remember feeling super confused during this period, not knowing which direction I was going to go in, feeling as though I’d wasted the last two years of college, and feeling pretty angry that someone, who should be encouraging prospective students, had potentially just diverted my entire future in the space of an hour.
I am a huge believer that whatever is meant for you will find you, and I’d been toying with the idea of university again and stumbled across Manchester Metropolitan University’s course list late one evening—here I found Digital Media & Communications! The course content was so diverse and really drew me in, covering everything from psychology and web development to creative asset production (photography, film, and audio). This was my calling! I remember scrambling to find the department’s contact details and writing a desperate email to explain I’d missed the UCAS deadline, but this was the course I wanted to do. I received an unconditional offer and a bursary if I achieved AAB at A-Level.
Over the course of three years, I threw myself into my studies entirely and produced a portfolio that I am extremely proud of to this day. I uncovered my passion for web development here and ensured to always injected my photography into whatever output I could. My dissertation feedback received comments that the photography included was beyond the level expected.
While I do feel there was an element of fortuity in this experience, I am so proud of myself for picking myself back up and pushing myself to jump into higher education, reclaiming the position that I felt I wasn’t initially worthy of. I’m also really thankful to have studied a diverse course that I wouldn’t have usually considered, as I left with such a varied skill set and the opportunity to enter the digital industry from so many angles.
I’ve found recently that it’s a really lovely feeling to see my boldness returning, as friends and family describe the younger me. I see this, especially through my advocacy for neuro-inclusivity in the tech realm and the workplace. This is mostly due to maturing since university and receiving my diagnosis, which allows me to be more open about my differences and accepting of myself. When in the past I’d have felt less than, but it definitely feels like a full circle moment and the younger me would be so proud! 💘
What Are Your Future Plans or Intentions for Your Tech ?
My younger self still hopes I will eventually career switch, becoming a full-stack developer. I really admire women and minority groups who make this leap, and I can see the self-fulfillment it must provide. Right now, I love working in a creative agency—I enjoy my role, and working within the web team is hugely rewarding. I love staying close to what interests me while I take some time to work out my priorities, so I’m always in the loop and up-to-date with current practices.
In all honesty, I don’t have a set goal at this moment—I just want to make sure I never drop coding as it’s a practice I have a talent for, and a bit of brain training never goes amiss!
I’ll forever be in the tech realm, though! I want to continue advocating for equality in this space and encouraging more people to make the jump. I’d love to set up my own community space with events here in London in the future.
…At the time of writing this, I’m actually in the early stages of co-founding an online neurodivergent tech community. Maybe manifesting really is a thing, keep your eyes peeled!
Thank You for Sharing Your Story, Fiona!
If you’ve reached the end of this article, we hope you feel inspired and motivated to jump into tech and get started with coding! Please keep an eye out for upcoming articles on neurodiversity and returning – we are just getting the conversation started!
