Current role at UCL: Director of Inclusive Environments, Inclusive Environments Team, CE&I (Campus Experience and Infrastructure).
I have been at UCL five and a half years, I joined on Aprils Fools day 2019. My role entails driving forward the work to make the UCL estate more inclusively designed, with my team.
Please could you describe your career journey
When I first left university, I got through to the final round of multiple graduate schemes and on several, failed at the final interview for reasons mostly relating to my disability. I am not sure how they expected a visually impaired person to make eye contact, but my inability to do that apparently made me an unsuitable candidate.
I got my first job through the DWP Job Centre Disability Scheme reviewing consultation responses for the Department for Education. They took on ten graduates, but I was the one disabled person they had to take. Interestingly, I was the only one offered a position at the end of the contract with the organisation. The line manager admitted that I had made her think about her own biases, and she had me in her team.
From there I moved around within the organisation before moving to the City of London Corporation in 2001 to move to a new field. I went to work for the Access Officer, learning about making buildings and public realm accessible to all. I loved it and they paid for me to undertake my Masters degree in inclusive design. I was seconded from here to the GLA as their principal adviser on accessibility at an exciting time, as everyone was capitalising on the joy that was the 2012 paralympic games.
At the end of my secondment, a similar position became available at the London Borough of Camden, so I moved there. They saw great potential in me, and I rose to the rank of Head of Building Control just after the Grenfell tragedy. I was not the natural choice for the position as whilst I have worked alongside building control and planning bodies for most of my career, I have no qualification in Building Control. I did the job for several years and took the team from a year-on-year downward trend in the market share to a 2% increase in the market share – local authority building control have to compete for work with the private sector alongside fulfilling their statutory out of hours function.
Whilst I was doing well in the work it was not my passion, so I decided to look for a new role that would give me more personal satisfaction. I was offered three jobs all very similar when I took the UCL job. I took the role at UCL because I could see I could bring about real change and that has given me back my passion for work and to get out of bed in the morning.
As you moved through your career journey, please describe your experience(s) in how you progressed to your current role?
All in above. I did move sideways from City of London to Camden. I found out about that position through the network I had built up over the years. I would also say that I took opportunities to develop that were not paid but gave me a wider network and allowed me to be in contact with a wider circle of professionals.
Those undertaking my career in inclusive design tend to belong to the professional organisation called the ‘Access Association’. I have undertaken a number of roles with them as a volunteer over the years, with support from various line managers. I have been London Regional Rep on National Council, Regional Secretary, National Secretary, Regional Chairperson and President of the organisation.
What lessons have you learnt on your career journey?
- Advancement opportunities don’t always come from your paid job. Sometimes you get those opportunities from voluntary positions. Be open to the wider field around you.
- Networks are important. I have a fabulous network around me, and I equally provide support to those starting out in my field. I got where I am because some more senior and experienced people gave their time freely to help me learn and develop. I always make sure I give that back to those coming along behind me. Afterall, they are my hope for retirement knowing the work is in good hands.
- Money is no reason to stay in a job, for the most part. Early in my career there were moments I wanted to move roles but used not being happy in my role as energy to find a new position that better suited me. As paying the mortgage and for nappies for babies became less of a pressure, I have moved to a role for less money just so I could better look after my own mental health, and I would do that again if necessary. No amount of money is worth sacrificing your wellbeing for.
What working achievement or initiative are you most proud of?
I am most proud of the Inclusive Environments Action Plan. It was heavily consulted on and took a lot of work. We are at the end of year one of the five year plan and so much has been achieved so far, more than the reports allude to. It is nowhere near there but progress and energy in this area is so great within CE&I, that I only see things going from strength to strength.
I always take time to celebrate the small wins as well as the big wins. There are hurdles and blockers to achieving what we want for the UCL community. 36-38 Gordon Square and level 3 20 Bedford Way are two examples of estates not looking like achieving the step free access they wanted. At initial meetings with the local council, it appeared we were not going to achieve step free access but my wonderful colleagues and my team kept plugging away - refining and developing until a version was reached for either scheme that the local council were happy with. We never accept the first hurdle, the first no – we just keep trying. That is something I don’t think the wider UCL community see.
What advice would you offer to others?
Don’t let others’ limitations for you become your own limitations. It’s a hard one that I still struggle with. At school I was told the blind people didn’t do GCSEs, A levels or go to university. I could have accepted that, but I didn’t. It was hard, it still is hard, but I have proved those doubters wrong. I am where I wanted to be.
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