The force is missing a trick by letting good people go when they're keen to join.
In 2022, AS1 Alex Anderson, a Logistics Supplier, received a Pride of Britain award. Alex was one of the first people with Aspergers Syndrome to join the Royal Air Force. After an initial rejection, changes to the entry rules allowed Alex to pursue his dream of joining the RAF. He has since gone on to inspire young people, particularly neurodiverse people to consider a career in the military.
Its where I felt my skills could most benefit the Royal Airforce.
The RAF were the first to change it’s stance to a case by case basis so if you could prove that you were capable, they’d give you a chance.
With diversity in the RAF, it’s having different individuals looking at the same problem.
Having been awarded something from royalty just blows me away. It’s just so crazy.
There need to be more individuals who are able to champion and be ambassadors for neurodiversity.
It’s a family away from family. That’s a magical thing.
People with Aspergers like organisation, they like structure.
Even though 60, 100 years go by, some things stay the same.
A lot of people are scared to get a diagnosis for their kid because they see it as a label and a barrier.
There are a lot of different environments that suit different people.
I’m very good at seeing patterns.
Whenever you’re deployed to any operational field, logistics is always the first one there.
The speech was written by His Majesty the King and read by Idris Elba.
It's available to every person coming in, because even without Aspergers it is such a shock to the system.
It’s things that play to the strengths of individuals like me. There's no reason I can’t perform effectively within that operational environment.