Veronika Pudilova (2021, Geographical Information Science), tells us about her time at Edinburgh, and Happy Autistic Lady – her start-up that delivers neurodiversity training, consultancy, and awareness campaigns to student spaces and businesses.
Current treasured object: My fabric scissors: I’m learning to make my own clothes!
Song of the moment: ‘My Body is My Buddy’ by Tessa Violet and Brye
The first thing I noticed when I woke up this morning: My dog asking for a cuddle.
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Edinburgh
I wanted to work in the environmental sector. I loved ecology but knew the job market was competitive, so I did lots of research and figured out that Geographical Information Science knowledge was a highly requested skill in job adverts. Edinburgh had one of the best courses in the world on this, alongside an emphasis on employability, developing practical skills, and an excellent disability and learning support service – so it was an obvious choice for me to apply.
My degree was during the coronavirus pandemic, so my student experience was possibly slightly different to some other people’s! Despite that, the staff and students all really tried to pull together and we had a six-week team project on pollution. My team studied air pollution in Edinburgh, preparing our research question, finding data, analysing it, and making policy proposals based on our findings. I now work in the Environment Agency and have done several projects identical to this.
Inclusivity
I believe that everyone should have a voice and that our differences make us stronger. That’s why I founded Happy Autistic Lady Ltd: when I realised I was autistic, I didn’t know anybody else who was openly autistic, and that felt very lonely. I wanted to connect with others, learn from them, and share how I was developing as a person with this new-found knowledge.
I am inspired by the fantastic people around me who share their experiences and are continually making a difference to their worlds. Three examples within the autism space include my sister Iveta, who now runs Happy Autistic Lady Ltd; Helen Jeffries https://helenjeffries.wordpress.com/; and Ayo Sokale https://ayosokale.com/
Happy Autistic Lady
I started Happy Autistic Lady Ltd in 2020 as a simple social media page to document all the things I was learning shortly after I was diagnosed autistic, all about autism, new coping mechanisms, and about myself. In 2022, my sister, Iveta, joined. Together, we levelled up Happy Autistic Lady into an online shop, selling empowering self-advocacy badges that allow you to communicate your needs without verbalising them. Through developing our business, my sister embarked on her own personal journey of discovering her neurodivergence. Since then, we have partnered with international organisations like the EU Commission, Ambitious about Autism and various Russell Group universities, including the Universities of Birmingham and Leeds, delivering training, consulting, and awareness campaigns.
Our key goal is to address the high turnover and dropout rates of neurodivergent students and staff. The lack of neurodiversity awareness and support doesn’t only impact neurodivergent individuals like us. It’s impacting society as a whole. 50% of neurodivergent employees are actively thinking of leaving their workplace, which amounts to £30 billion in potential turnover costs in the UK alone and up to 8,000 Autistic students drop out of university because of a lack of support and inclusion, costing UK universities £73 million in lost tuition every year.
Happy Autistic Lady is all about fostering empowering, engaging, and inclusive student spaces and workplaces. We address these issues by delivering a combination of tailored neurodiversity training and awareness campaigns that improve retention, reputation, and satisfaction.
Our awareness campaigns are perfect for celebrating key dates like Neurodiversity Celebration Week; they include workshops to directly upskill students and staff, and marketing content and branded merchandise to raise awareness, foster a sense of community, and create a supportive and empowering educational and work environment where neurodivergent individuals feel empowered to seek support. With our tailored training, managers learn how to foster inclusive environments for all, boost retention, reputation, and satisfaction, and ensure ethical and legal compliance with the Disability Act.
Award-winning
As a small family-owned business, winning the Inclusivity Award meant so much to our team. Many aren’t aware of the barriers neurodivergent and disabled students and staff face and how this impacts organisations, too. Being awarded for our work is a reminder that what we do is valuable and needed!
My other work
Currently, I work in the Environment Agency (EA) as a Communications and Engagement Adviser for their Environment Monitoring and Planning programme (EA), where we are transforming monitoring and planning data and IT to enable environmental improvements.
Previously, I was in the EA’s Agriculture Programme where I created a model to predict which farms are causing pollution to agriculture.
In 2022-23, I led a team of Civil Servants in finding a solution to the 9 million letters HMRC receives every year. Our solution got to the finals of the Civil Service Data Challenge, you can read more about it here:
Civil Service Data Challenge finalists: Sorting Mail Items With AI
I am also a co-chair for the Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) autism and ADHD network. We now have over 1200 members, for whom we run regular talks, drop-in sessions, and create resources to advocate for their needs.
What’s next
I really enjoy my current job and will be finishing the Government Communication Service Advance Practitioner certificate in October.
Next at Happy Autistic Lady, we’re looking to partner with other universities and organisations to deliver training and design awareness campaigns for Neurodiversity Celebration Week and Invisible Disabilities Month.
Related links
Return to Enlightened – Issue 08
