The 18th-24th of March is Neurodiversity Celebration Week! We're spotlighting some Scottish Icons who have been open about their experiences with neurodiversity, how it affects and benefits them!
When it comes to inclusion, neurodiversity refers to a world where neurological differences are recognised and respected as all other human variations and this week (18th-24th) celebrates neurological differences of all kinds. We're spotlighting some of the incredibly talented and skilled Scottish icons who are open about both their struggles with neurodiversity, and how it has helped them.
Lewis Capaldi -Tourette’s Syndrome
The Glaswegian singer-songwriter and musician has been hugely successful since debuting in 2019 with Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent. Nominated for the Critics' Choice Award in 2019, Capaldi won the 2020 Brit Award for Best New Artist. His single “Someone you Loved” won the 2020 Brit Award for Song of the Year and has become the longest-running top 10 UK single of all time by a British artist. The 27-year-old has always been open about his own experiences with mental health and neurodiversity, including his recent diagnosis of Tourette’s syndrome. Capaldi has shared that he can experience tics at moments of high emotion or stress, and that they can be both painful and exhausting. While performing at Glastonbury 2023, a combination of tics and lost voice prevented him from singing; in a moving moment of support, the thousands of concert goers sang his song to and for him. This watershed moment has helped open up the dialogue about neurodiversity and decrease the stigma of such conditions as Tourette’s.
Tom Stoltman - Autism
Tom Stoltman is a professional strongman competitor from Invergordon. He won both the World's Strongest Man titles and the Britian’s Strongest Man titles in 2021 and 2022. In 2020, Stoltman broke the world record for the 5 Atlas Stones (light set); he also holds the world record for the heaviest Atlas stone ever lifted over 1.22 metres. He runs a YouTube channel and owns a gym and merchandise store with his brother Luke Stoltman. The brothers received honorary Sporting Blues Awards form UHI and HISA in 2022. The strongman is on the autistic spectrum, and was bullied as a teenager, leaving him to feel isolated and ostracised. However, in the gym, he discovered that the “tunnel vision” of his autism was actually “a superpower.” Transforming from a skinny teenager into a veritable giant, Stoltman now uses his platform to advocate for a change in the public perception of people with autism.
Fern Brady - Autism
Fern Brady is a comedian, podcaster, and writer from West Lothian. As a result of her success as a stand-up at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, she has been invited on to comedy panel shows such as 8 Out of 10 Cats, BBC Radio 4's The News Quiz, Task Master, and others. In 2020 she became a podcaster when she co-created a podcast entitled Wheel of Misfortune. Brady was diagnosed with autism as an adult, and her 2023 memoir, Strong Female Character, documents her experiences with neurodiversity. Her diagnosis had a positive impact on Brady. She says that “becoming aware [of my autism] enabled me to be a better advocate for myself in work and at home as well as finally start to build a more positive self-image after years of thinking meltdowns were my fault.”
Neurodiversity Week and Student Networks!
You can find out more about Neurodiversity Celebration Week on their website https://www.neurodiversityweek.com/. We'd recommend checking out some of the fantastic talks and events they are running this week, all online, for free.
Looking for community? Join the Neurodiversity Students Network here! https://hisa.uhi.ac.uk/groups/network/6456/