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Published on:

25th Aug 2024

Hamza’s Autistic World: A Mother’s Perspective from Maya Azawi

Maya shares her experiences of moving to the UK as a child and the challenges she faced in adapting to a new culture and language. She then discusses her journey through education, including her pursuit of a biomedical engineering degree and her desire to study medicine.

Maya also opens up about her son, Hamza, and the difficulties she faced in recognizing and getting support for his neurodevelopmental conditions, including ASD and ADHD. Maya shares her experience of advocating for her son, Hamza, who has autism and ADHD. She discusses the challenges they faced in the education system, including bullying and a lack of support.

Maya fought for her son's rights and eventually found a specialist school that has made a significant positive impact on Hamza's life. She emphasizes the importance of not giving up and being a voice for children with special needs. Maya also highlights the need for happiness and acceptance in their lives, as well as the importance of understanding their rights.

  • Moving to a new country as a child can be a challenging and fearful experience, especially when faced with language and cultural barriers.
  • The education system may not always provide the necessary support for children with neurodevelopmental conditions, and parents may need to advocate for their child's needs.
  • Getting a diagnosis for a child with neurodevelopmental conditions can be a relief, as it provides a better understanding of their challenges and opens up access to appropriate support and interventions.
  • Parents of children with neurodevelopmental conditions often face lifelong commitments to supporting their child's needs and ensuring their well-being.
  • Medication can be a difficult decision for parents, but it may be necessary to help children with neurodevelopmental conditions succeed academically and manage their symptoms. Don't give up and be a voice for children with special needs
  • Explore all avenues and ask questions to understand why a child may be struggling
  • Prioritize happiness and acceptance for children with special needs
  • Understanding and fighting for your child's rights is crucial
  • Maya's experience highlights the challenges and successes of advocating for a child with autism and ADHD
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About the Podcast

Diversity Matters
The show where every voice is welcome, and every story is celebrated.
In this podcast series, Mike moves away from the traditional DE&I rhetoric, to get a better understanding of what diversity, equity and inclusion actually means for us as individuals. Are we seeing real change? Do you feel a greater sense of belonging in your workplace and community? Each week Mike and his guest open an honest dialogue on a specific DE&I topic, some discussions will be inspirational, others might be a little uncomfortable but hopefully all will be interesting and thought provoking.

About your host

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Mike Sealy

Mike is currently the Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Director with a world leading exhibition and event organiser, he leads, coordinates, and champions the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging efforts across the business to ensure the long-term sustainability of the D&I strategy in relation to the company’s colleagues, customers, content and communities.
Through his own lived experiences, he is deeply passionate about fairness, equity, and inclusion for all. He is a dedicated coach, mentor, motivator, and podcaster who regularly speaks at events and on discussion panels both to corporate colleagues and students in education. He speaks candidly on his work and social experiences to create awareness of the issues and opportunities within diversity and inclusion as well as to help build confidence, freedom, and motivation in others.
Mike is British with Afro-Caribbean heritage. He is thought leader with a strong client centric and customer experience mindset and has demonstrable experience of leading teams across complex international matrixed organizations possessing a strong track record of delivering results. He has held senior leadership positions at Hewlett Packard, Microsoft and the BBC, leading and setting up businesses and organizations and has won awards for management and execution excellence in the process.