A mother’s story

A customer, whose 17-year-old autistic son worked with us as a Christmas casual at Warrington Mail Centre, has written in to say what a great experience he had during his time with us.

Beverley Spence-Dickenson’s son, Mason, who has both Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), worked at Royal Mail for four weeks back in December, and came home each day a ‘happy young man.’

‘As a mother and carer for Mason, I have to say I was sceptical at the offer of employment Mason received after completing his application for Royal Mail,’ said Beverley. ‘I had helped Mason complete at least six other applications for part-time or temporary work and not once had he ever been given an opportunity to be interviewed. It was soul-destroying each time he was rejected at the application stage, and it led me to question if it was because I was disclosing his disabilities.

‘So, when I received an email asking Mason to attend an event and a personal email from your recruitment team stating that I was welcome to accompany him, we were overjoyed.  Never once did I feel uncomfortable supporting Mason, nor did anyone bat an eyelid at me being there.

‘The gentleman who invited Mason over to discuss working was an absolute professional. When he asked Mason about his disabilities, he then said: “It doesn’t matter what your disabilities are, we still want to employ you, you just tell us what we need to do to accommodate you.”

‘I had tears in my eyes when I heard him say this. I felt like crying with joy at Mason being given the opportunity to have a job and gain some work experience, where no other company had given him a chance. I will honestly never forget this. A surge of gratitude will always be with me from this moment for Royal Mail.

‘Mason worked for you for four weeks without any issues and came home every day a happy young man. He doesn’t give a lot of feedback as he struggles with expressing and communicating his emotions and feelings, but I know that he was calm and relaxed and there was nothing worrying him, so I was happy that he was happy!

‘Having a child with ASD and ADHD can be challenging and difficult, particularly because Mason looks the same as any other young person of his age. You wouldn’t be aware of his disabilities as they are not visible to look at him. I have, unfortunately, had to fight to get him heard, get him support and get the people that need to work with and support him to understand his difficulties and needs. There was no hint of this at Royal Mail.

‘I truly believe that you are a disability-confident employer who embraces, includes and integrates all disabilities in any way you are able to. Royal Mail’s practice in this area, from my experience, is exemplary. Others could learn a lot from you. Being patient, non-judgemental, enabling, and supportive means a lot for people like Mason. They then feel included, integrated and part of a team and community, and this helps enormously with their confidence.

‘Take it from me, you are doing everything right when it comes to employment for people with disabilities and I will tell anybody who needs to know this.’

Disability support

Call our internal disability helpline on 0800 028 6142 for advice if you are a disabled colleague or manager looking for support with organising reasonable adjustments.

For more information on how to obtain support from the Disability steering group or if you would like advice on managing someone with a disability, please contact DisabilitySteeringGroup@royalmail.com.