Mrs Jo Phillips – Written evidence (YDP0007)

I am a 47 yr old female, married with no children. I was diagnosed Dyslexic at 19 years old once I reached university, with a reading age of 9. I was diagnosed with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome aged 30 yrs old, even though I had been symptomatic my whole life with dislocations, subluxations, easy bruising, sprains, strains etc I was diagnosed Autistic in 2020 at the age of 43 yrs and a few months ago with ADHD at 47 yrs. I believe that these undiagnosed conditions played a massive part in my difficulty with employment.

I finished school with 9 GCSEs C and above. I went to Amersham Art College and got a distinction for GNVQ in General Art & Design. From there I went to Norwich School of Art and Design and completed an HND in Graphic Design. From there I continued education studying a degree in Illustration for which I gained a 2:1. I remember being stunned at the end of the course as I did not know what to do next. It had not occurred to me about getting a job or having a career. I was just thinking about the projects I was doing at the time. This is a ‘time blindness’ aspect of ADHD and hyperfocus (both ADHD and Autism) that I had on the projects I was doing. I didn't know how to get a job or where to go. I felt like asking someone was not an option as I should be able to figure it out myself (remember I was undiagnosed Autistic and received zero help).

I had a special interest in the bible and Christianity and Judaism and my parents suggested that I could do some voluntary work in Israel. I applied and was accepted. I worked there for 1 year in a hotel doing housekeeping/washing up/painting rooms etc. When I returned to the UK I felt so lost. I couldn't live with my parents so I stayed on the lounge floor at my sister's house. I didn't want to ‘sign on’ and the job centre was not able to find me Graphic design or illustration jobs. I decided to apply for a checkout worker position at Aylesbury Sainsburys. I hated it and felt like a failure. I couldn't understand HOW I was meant to get a job or look for a job. I walked into the shops in Aylesbury and asked if they needed any design work. Noone did. I asked for a transfer to Golders Green in London, a highly populated Jewish area, and there I became a food taster. I had 1 interview for a Graphic Design job, but I did not have much knowledge of the Adobe Suite and how to use Photoshop and so I wasn't accepted for the position.  (I didn't attend these classes as they were group sessions and I never was able to keep up and kept asking questions which people got annoyed with, so I ditched the classes. This was my undiagnosed, unsupported disability.I bought the Guardian newspaper to look for jobs as I didnt know where to get help. I decided to apply for a job at John Lewis because I really liked the shop and I was so frustrated with Sainsburys, the lightning, the noise, the people, the sensory aspects of the uniform, the feeling of not getting on when I had a degree! I became a partner at John Lewis and continued to look for Design work. I had no family close, no community, no support. I had no friends and I was very lonely and lost.

At 26 I met my now husband in a chance meeting in Starbucks in Golders Green in 2001. He was a Police Officer and initially encouraged me to become one too. I felt so happy that someone had taken an interest in me and followed what he suggested. I thought to myself, I like the Bill, I like detective movies and I follow the rules and like rules, maybe I would be OK? Whilst waiting for the application and interview my dad suggested going to Customs and Excise just in case I didn't get in. I applied and got into the New Business Team. It was open plan, awful, a long bus ride away, which I hated and all to do with tax which was very boring to me.  Luckily I got into the Police after an odd interview and although the 18 week Hendon training was OK (I enjoyed learning all the legislation), when I started real Police work I hated it. I hated dealing with people all the time, having to communicate with them, all the horrible paperwork,  I hated the uniform and the itchiness. I made no friends and people were horrible to me. I was sent to more sudden deaths than others on my team and I was only given the opportunity to go in the area car twice in my two year probation, unlike others I had started with. I was not a team player and it was god awful. I decided to go on the detective programme to get off the streets but during this time I had a breakdown and ended up in the Priory Psychiatric hospital for depression and Bulimia. I tried to get back to work but my chronic pain and other difficulties made it impossible.I was medically retired in 2010. Around this time I completed a Masters in Illustration at camberwell and decided to start my own greeting card company. It was a small venture and although I achieved my goal of getting my cards into John Lewis I wasn't able to sustain the workload and was getting frustrated. Also I couldn't do the sales as my direct communication put people off, so my husband took on this role but had also had enough. We sold the business and broke even. l I won't go on about my story other than to say that we were forced to sell our home and move due to us not meeting payments. I have struggled with Eating disorders and disordered eating, depression, anxiety and chronic pain and many many other problematic issues that come along with EDS

There should be earlier diagnosis of Autism, ADHD and EDS. My story is not uncommon. In fact there is a high correlation between these conditions.

There was no support for a solid career path from Norwich Art School and when I moved back home I had no further contact with them.

If I had been diagnosed earlier and given the support that was 121 and specific to me and my circumstances then I am sure I would have been helped into a suitable Illustration career, maybe I wouldn't have been so depressed as I would be embracing my creativity. I think Autistic people need additional support with things that may seem obvious to Neurotypicals. For example, organisations to turn to, help with interviews, having all the options available. A support network to ask questions without the fear of criticism and judgment.

I relied on my parents for help in healthcare as a child, and although my mother was a nurse she often didn't take me with injuries etc as she didnt want to ‘bother the doctor’. There was no one at school or University to help me with the hEDS. I was often exhausted and in pain but assumed others felt that way too and so I would push through pain.

I didn't understand what an Illustration career was at Univrsity, what I needed to do, and I got stuck on a certain aspect of it, like having to make a phone call or talking to someone. This is part of the difficulty I have being Autistic. I found the Association of Illustrators (AOI) unapproachable in those days. (I am gaining confidence lately as in June I  joined ‘Autism Herts’ and have met other like minded Autistic people who I can relate to and feel validated with. They offer workshops, courses and social events with other Autistic people. I am going to make a plan with them to see if being an illustrator is something I can now accomplish WITH SUPPORT and being able to understand my disabilities and that it is not a level playing field with my peers!)

There continues to be no non-pharmacological support in Hertfordshire for ADHD and the diagnosis rate at my GP is about ⅓ of the national statistics, which is shocking. My difficulties in communicating have caused me so many issues throughout life. Early diagnosis and support and acceptance is the KEY. Nowhere near meeting the guidelines for ADHD in the NICE document.

I'm not sure if I have answered many of the questions but this is a snapshot of my story.

11 August 2023