We spoke to Alice, one of our library colleagues, about her experience with Autism.
“It’s 08:59am and my heartbeat has increased. The doors welcoming the customers into the library are due to open in one minute. I have no idea what to expect, who will I serve today? What kinds of questions will they ask me? And the most important question of all, can I survive through the shift without overthinking and feeling overwhelmed with anxiety? By the time the clock ticks to 9:00am, my colleagues are next to me ready for the day ahead and the last-minute panic starts to evaporate away.
![](https://i0.wp.com/baneslibraries.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/VL-image-Square-33-e1712836070796.png?resize=1000%2C666&ssl=1)
I was diagnosed with autism in 2019 at the age of twenty. For years, I had suspected that something wasn’t quite right with my communication skills and issues with processing information during school classes. I opted at the time due to my circumstances as a university student to seek a private diagnostic assessment on campus rather than through the NHS with long waitlists. When all was confirmed, it was finally the answer that I had been looking for and the closure could start to begin.
Women are sadly less likely to be diagnosed with autism before the age of 18 with the percentage as high at 80%. Back in the middle of the 2000s, the awareness and understanding were simply not there. I struggled through my primary school years often crying as I struggled to tell my teachers that my peers were being far too loud in the classroom or that I felt unwell with headaches because of sensory sensitivities. Looking back then to now during a time with the growth of scientific researching and many more women sharing their experiences, it fills me with hope that more of us are starting to be taken seriously and want to inspire others who have those same questions that they would like to have the answers for.
My role is in a busy and sometimes noisy environment, working across four locations both within libraries and customer services. When I first joined, I really wasn’t sure how things would go. It would be through a lot of practicing, trials and errors and a quiet spot with a colleague to be trained on systems such as CIVICA that have really made the world of difference. I do not wear the sunflower lanyard at work; however, I have served customers who are autistic and have felt able to share my experiences with them as a way of reassurance, that they are not on their own, someone is there and understands.
I have found that the written word has always been a source of joy and comfort and by reading more, it was more helpful for me to be around books than being referred to speech therapy for two years. It gave me the voice that I knew was hidden inside, like a lion’s roar, fighting to be unleashed onto the world. Working in libraries is a safe space as it has always felt like a home to me filled with happy memories.
It does give me great joy helping customers with finding the books that they are after or needing to make a payment for a bill such as council tax. Spotting items that are out of place is my hidden superpower and there has never been a shift where I haven’t found something in the wrong place. Anything is possible if you put your mind to it.
I have lots of ideas and goals for the future and it doesn’t hurt to say that I will need some additional support to help me reach them. One goal that I am aiming for is to become a qualified librarian, undertaking practical work experience in other library environments and documenting my journey to get there. One goal that I have achieved is my business management and customer services NVQ certificate which the charity shop I volunteer at helped me with. Being a volunteer has done so much for boosting my confidence and learning new skills to help with my personal development.
One word of advice that I would give to anyone seeking a diagnosis from themselves or supporting a person they know in their position is that it is fine to ask questions. People are surprised when I tell them about my autism after I’ve managed to hold a five-minute conversation and internally feel fatigued afterwards. Education is important, we all have a duty to be kind to one another. Read, learn, educate. And a library is the best place to do just that”.
Alice, 21 March 2024