This is Olivia’s story. She stood in front of people for the first time and read this to the pupils at Leeds City Academy. I was so proud of her bravery as this is a very difficult thing for someone with autism to do. We really hope that this can help to raise awareness of different disabilities such as hidden disabilities, bullying and hate crime.
I just wanted to say a little bit about my experiences throughout school to raise awareness around bullying.
My names is Olivia and I’ve an invisible disability. I was diagnosed with autism between the age of 25 and 26.
I often wondered when i was younger what was wrong with me and why I didn’t seem to fit in. throughout my life people didn’t always realise how much I struggled with things as I look normal. People have high expectations of what i can do and don’t see the bigger picture, this is often the case for lots of people.
When i was in primary school i was often bullied for no apparent reason I knew. One of the boys would kick me until I had bruises and say nasty things. This really upset me and I was frightened to go to school. I would wrap scarfs around my legs to protect myself so it didn’t hurt (well physically anyway).
When I was in year 10 I got to the point where I couldn’t cope any longer this led to me self-harming. My self-confidence and worth was at the lowest and that was the point I was removed from main stream school.
Around 15 years old I attended a supported school where I still had problems but made a few friends and felt supported by teachers.
I just like to finish and say we are all unique and individual in our own way and this should be embraced and you may miss out on someone who could be a good friendship or peers.
leedspeople1st 