A Journey of Neurodiversity Advocacy and Change

Written By Daisy Culver

This article mentions children’s mental health and suicide. 

With a varied career spanning 35 years, Lucy Smith embodies leadership, management expertise, and a deep passion for change management. In 2020, Lucy founded Inclusive Change with a mission to build the future of work with neurodiversity in mind. Since then, she has gone on to establish Inclusive Change at Work Community Interest Company, focusing on providing innovative support to disabled and neurodivergent individuals, helping them get into, stay in, and grow in their careers.

Lucy was recognised by the Prime Minister in 2023 for her community work and by the BBC for her social enterprise achievements. She collaborates with Gloucestershire organisations and carer networks and hosted the Castle Conference in the South West to tackle the digital wellbeing challenge for young people. 

This article forms part of our series highlighting the diverse innovators of our region, from culture and sustainability to government and business. Know someone we should highlight? Let us know. 

A Life Shaped by Neurodiversity

As with all the changemakers we meet, we ask Lucy to begin our conversation right at the beginning: what’s her background, and how did she get to where she is today?

“I grew up in the ’70s in a neurodivergent family, which, at the time, I didn’t know. I had a single mum, and for a time, we were homeless, so I lived with my grandparents and uncle. My uncle - who sadly passed away last year aged 60 - was just seven years older than me and had Down Syndrome. Professionals at the time predicted that he would not live past 30. It’s only since my children have been diagnosed with autism in recent years that I look back and recognise that my uncle was also autistic.” 

Regarding her education, university was never something she’d considered. As a very introverted young person, she was encouraged to join the air cadets, which is how she met her husband.“I grew up working class and I mean really working class; my whole family lived in council houses, got free school meals, you name it. Even though I loved learning, I detested school, and if I could find a reason to skip school, I would. I didn’t know anyone who had gone to University; it just wasn’t something we did.” Married at 18, she moved to Germany with her husband, who was in the Royal Engineers. “Within weeks of relocating, he was deployed to the Gulf War, and so we spent around fifty per cent of the next twelve years apart. It was a bit of a shock to the system; we did miss each other.” 

Anything but Linear 

When discussing Lucy's career, the twists and turns take many unexpected directions. “I had a pilot’s licence before I had a driving licence,” she casually throws in amid stories of serving the Queen of England and later Tommy Hillfiger, Margaret Thatcher, and Ronald Reaegan during her days in hospitality. 

“Having been in the air cadets, I had a pilot’s licence and could speak fluent German, so eventually, In ‘95, aged 25, I obtained a grant as a mature student to study International Hospitality Management at Nottingham Trent University.” Later, she became a lecturer at a further education college and began ghostwriting educational textbooks. This is when she realised her skill for simplifying and contextualising information for others. 

“In 2000, I saw an advert in Military Careers Magazine for a customs officer; I applied and went through the rigorous selection process, then spent the next sixteen years working in intelligence and investigations for HMRC, Serious Organised Crime and the National Crime Agency.” 

“I loved my career in law enforcement, but once I became a mum, my career radically changed.” She explains. “I became sidelined and told that I was now a mother, so I shouldn't be doing the same things. I know they meant well, but it wasn't something I heard said to my male colleagues.”

The Reality of Parenting and Autism

“One dreary afternoon in February of 2015, my daughter Owen, aged nine, told me she wanted to tell me something. ‘I have something to tell you, I just tried to kill myself’. My world changed in that moment, my priority became keeping her safe.” 

“When asked why, Owen said she felt like an alien. Outwardly, she was outgoing with many friends and a YouTube channel; she’d even auditioned to be Matilda on the West End. But internally, she struggled with the world around her and didn’t understand why.” 

The first steps were being referred to a paediatrician and children’s mental health services. Two years later, they had an appointment with Child and Adolescence Mental Health Service (CAHMS). They advised sending her for an autism assessment.

“Until then, we’d never really heard of autism; Owen held eye contact, spoke confidently and was sociable, so we assumed it didn’t apply. In her last week of primary school, she had the assessment and was diagnosed with autism. Looking back, it now seems obvious, but having grown up in a neurodivergent family, I completely overlooked the signs.”

Lucy feels that given the various roles she’d worked, she had the knowledge and tools to navigate a complex system of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and was, therefore, able to get great support, which many struggle to obtain. “Getting help isn't easy, but we were lucky. One of the most impactive things we did was attending a therapy programme with other families. The children in one room and parents in another. We’d work through things like having anxiety as an autistic person in a neurotypical world.” 

Unfortunately, going to secondary school became very challenging for Owen. By now, she was extremely depressed, experiencing suicidal thoughts daily and had become selectively mute. “After years of wondering when I would be called from work to pick her up, I made the tough but necessary choice to leave my job to take a role locally as a Change Manager at the University of Bristol. This meant I was no longer travelling for my job. We fought for an Educational Health and Care Plan (EHCP), which we had by the time she was twelve years old.”

Lucy obtained online work for Owen via Abricot Learning “They are the most incredible people. Who helped in so many ways. This was a very challenging time for the entire family, juggling work, bills and all of our mental health. On top of this, my mother-in-law, who lived with us, had dementia; she needed a lot of support herself. This is why I am committed to helping parents of neurodivergent children through Inclusive Change, as I have been there myself, and I know how hard it is.”. 

The Intersection of Autism and Gender Identity

Adding another complex layer to navigate, aged thirteen, Owen came out as transgender. She changed her name by Deed Poll, and the steps required to help her understand her identity and gender, seeking help from our GP and the Gender Identify Service. There are known links between gender dysphoria and autism, it is highly likely that autistic people will struggle with their identity.

“After four years, we were eventually given appointments at the Gender Identity Service (GIDS). This was about talking and understanding her relationship with her body and peeling back layers of her identity. “This took us to a point where she decided she no longer wanted to transition medically, and today is happy with her gender and any pronoun.” 

When asked how parents should navigate the tricky topic of gender dysphoria, Lucy explains her approach: 

“This can be very hard for parents to get their head around. If a young child feels that they are in the wrong body, I think we should support them. But we shouldn't rush with medical and long-term implications. This is a very confusing time for the young person, and we need to be careful not to invalidate them during a sensitive time. My advice is to allow them to outwardly explore presenting themselves as who they feel they are through clothes and using their chosen pronouns, this can be a very important exploration.” 

Owen herself believes that support is the way to go without rushing into medical intervention. 

Founding Inclusive Change

Lucy’s personal experiences, coupled with her professional background in change management, led her to found Inclusive Change, and Inclusive Change at Work Community Interest Company focused on supporting neurodivergent individuals in the workplace.

“The driver behind my business began In 2019 when I broke. I was trying to juggle everything, and it became too much. But that moment of breaking led to a breakthrough. I realised that parents of neurodivergent kids, and the kids themselves, needed better support in education and the workplace.”

Inclusive Change provides work-based assessments, training, and support services to help neurodivergent individuals succeed in their careers. “Right now, organisations that understand neurodiversity will have much more high-performing teams. The next generation expects employers to understand how different brains work, and those that don’t will miss out on innovation and creativity.”

Lucy’s mission is clear: “I want the next generation of autistic people to walk into the world of work and feel valued. Neurodiversity is about group settings and organisations—if we can change how they think, we can build a more inclusive future.”

Recommended Resources

For parents and individuals navigating similar journeys, Lucy recommends the following resources:

Books: 

Guidance: 

Daisy Culver
Next

Cheltenham’s Heritage of Innovation with Rob Stemp