Find out more about Chris’s story of self-discovery and resilience
Chris Taylor: Growing up, I had a good childhood. I did have friends, and most of primary school was a very enjoyable experience as I usually got along with the teachers. I was diagnosed as neurodivergent when I was four or five, and found out when I was about 12. I have Asperger’s Syndrome, which is a defunct term now, otherwise known as Level 1 Autism. I didn't know a lot about it. I just got the label, but from there, I started learning a little bit more about myself and what it means to be who I am. Even now, I'm still learning.
I remember Grade 3 being particularly tough because I had a teacher who was completely unempathetic. You could argue that she shouldn't have been a teacher. I think she was only in that career because her parents were. I remember one day we all had to draw something. She went up to one of my friends, picked up their drawing, and said, “who did this? A cockroach could have done better!”. Completely judgmental!
Later on, I was drawing a Mother's Day card. The same teacher took it from me and threw it in the bin, telling me my mother would hate it. I didn't think it was abnormal behaviour at the time, I just thought, ‘this is my teacher’. Being nine years old, this event had a significant impact on me, even 20 years later. I was a lot more grateful for any teacher I had beforehand and afterwards.
“I've since learned that there's a better way of teaching. Especially if you know a student is on the spectrum. It's essential to understand how to communicate and adapt to students who may require some extra support.”
When I reached high school, I did fine, performed well and graduated. I did have an excellent friend network in high school and I'm very, very lucky and grateful to have them in my life still. They're very important people to me. Just like anyone else, I went through the usual things teenagers go through. There were times when I thought people didn’t like me, but I know now that wasn't the case at all.
After high school, I went pretty much straight into university to do a Bachelor of Animation, which wasn't the most successful endeavour I’ve undertaken. It didn't take me long to realise that it wasn't what I was looking for. I think it was an interest I had at the time, but it was very different to how I’d imagined. The course itself was just not what I was expecting and I ended up dropping out. I know there's a stigma surrounding those who drop out of university, but I believe it was for the better, as I wouldn't have gained the experience I did afterwards.
I had a few odd jobs here and there. I remember working at a second-hand shop, which was very interesting because it was essentially a house filled with lots of old stuff, run by two guys trying to sell it. I did some volunteer work and a couple of stints at some dry cleaners. I also spent a large amount of my previous employment history at a giant warehouse where you could only see one corner of the building at a time, it was that big! It was very strenuous work. I wouldn't be halfway through my shift, dripping with sweat, before my phone would say you've done 10,000 steps today!
And even after all that, I wouldn't be near reaching KPIs. It was just far too physically demanding for me. The work environment at that place was also not fantastic. I remember one day, I started working, and I felt ill. I was moving a pallet jack, carrying two pallets. Suddenly, I felt very unwell. I went to the nurse, and he told me I looked green.
“He called the manager, but she wasn't happy with the idea of me leaving, because to them, I'm just a statistic. I'm just a number. I didn’t like that. I'm much more than a number. And I said, “if I'm going to stay here, there's a potential I could get everyone else sick, and all of your numbers will have to leave”. I made the call. I went home. Which was good, because I ended up being very unwell.”
I did these odd jobs for around five years before I came across ASA through my employment agency. They called me in one day and asked if I was interested in an interview. I thought, ‘okay, cool, why not? This might get me somewhere’. So I went for that interview, spoke to Geoff Smith, our CEO, and Oliver, who at the time was our geospatial advisor. It was an excellent interview. What I liked was that they prepared you by giving you the questions beforehand, which more companies should do, as it can help with someone's nerves. And it would provide many more people with a better chance to succeed in an interview.
Since then, I’ve been doing geospatial work. I've been at ASA for nearly four years, which is incredible—an excellent four years. In terms of skills relevant to our work, I take pride in my pattern recognition, which I utilise to enhance the quality of our output. What I love about working at ASA is the environment. As a social person, I love that aspect of it. I used to be more introverted, but I've come to realise I'm actually an extrovert, and I'm just learning to embrace that. I've been on 12 projects since I started here, including what's probably our biggest one: Queensland's energy network.
When I first started, confidence was a huge issue, a big barrier for me. For instance, when I was working on a project and needed help with something, I felt embarrassed to ask for support, so I would wait for someone to come to me before asking a question. I overcame that by recognising how accommodating this workplace is. It encouraged me to socialise more and get to know people better. With everyone checking in on me from time to time, it also fostered more open communication. And the way people validate your feelings and the questions you feel like you're not asking makes you realise that you should feel confident in asking any question.
“Working at ASA has been incredibly beneficial, especially in terms of confidence. I wouldn't be doing anything like this if I hadn't been at ASA. It's been a fantastic opportunity and continues to be so. Financial stability is also a significant factor. I've never felt so comfortable with my life as I do now, thanks to the opportunities that ASA has provided me.”
I think sometimes when co-workers find out that you're on the spectrum, their attitude can change. Neurodivergent people should be approached as though we're just any other person. If you’ve met one person on the spectrum, you've only met one person on the spectrum. We can't be contained in just one box. We are all kinds of people, just like neurotypicals. When it comes to ‘masking’, a term I learned about at ASA, I like to call it mirroring, or being someone that you’re not. It’s tiring to try to hide your neurodivergence to fit in. I do it a lot less than I used to. I'm quite proud of who I am personally and my sense of identity. I'm comfortable with who I am around other people as well.
“Neurodiversity, I suppose, fundamentally, it's a different way of thinking. I think many people would describe it as ‘wiring’. All the functions are still in here, they're just wired up a little differently. So certain parts of my brain might be a bit more accentuated.”
ASA has done wonders for me; I am so much more confident in myself, I'm financially stable, which I hadn't been before, the support that I receive from my colleagues and supervisors is very accommodating, they have a way of adapting to your specific needs, they understand my learning style and how to develop resources that enable me to learn effectively and they're very adaptable. My favourite way to work is by listening to music, which helps me focus. If I'm not listening to music, I get easily distracted by my surroundings, whether it's noise or visuals, but music can keep me focused on what I'm doing.
ASA is more about the human element than our performance. We're not a statistic; we’re treated as people, and it resonates within the organisation. I can see it from other colleagues as well, as I've been able to see how they've progressed through their time here.
“Before my employment at ASA, my job search was constant and yielded little in terms of results. I'm just very, very happy with where I am. The commitment to neurodiversity, in itself, is a unique aspect given my workplace history. It is so much more accommodating, and they do care.”
So, in terms of how other businesses can embrace neurodiversity, being accommodating is key.
As for the future, I have several creative projects in the background that I would like to pursue, be that music, photography or restoration projects. Let’s see how things go!
