Lauren Wyatt
Nominee Profile
Location: Wokingham
My name is Lauren, I’m 21 years old and I have Tourette’s Syndrome and FND. I am a passionate artist and Neurodiversity advocate, and represent Tourette’s Action on the National Neurodiversity Youth Council.
I have had many amazing opportunities with the NNDYC, such as speaking at the Westminster Insight: Neurodiversity in the Workplace Conference about my experiences of having TS in employment, and attending the Annual Neurodiversity Conference. Our goal for this year is to fly to New York to petition the United Nations about ND opportunity and change, which I am incredibly excited for.
Outside of the Youth Council, I am a landlady at a local pub, and work behind the bar. This can be challenging as someone with tics, but I find that it is the perfect opportunity to educate the customers about stigmatised conditions and raise awareness of neurodiversity. I also go into schools and collages to run assemblies and lectures about TS, in the hope that it helps create a more ND friendly world for us all. In my free time I paint and make jewellery, which I sell to raise money for the charities that are close to my heart – in the last year I have raised nearly £2000 in this way.
In addition to my in-person advocacy, I also post about my experiences online to help raise awareness of Tourette’s and FND on platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. From this I have received hundreds of really supportive messages from people who my videos have impacted, and had some great opportunities arise such as talking to newspapers and radio stations, and appearing on the Channel 5 documentary “Teacher with Tourette’s”.
It has been a goal for me to be nominated for a National Diversity Award for a long time, and I am so grateful to have been put forward.
Thank you.
I have had many amazing opportunities with the NNDYC, such as speaking at the Westminster Insight: Neurodiversity in the Workplace Conference about my experiences of having TS in employment, and attending the Annual Neurodiversity Conference. Our goal for this year is to fly to New York to petition the United Nations about ND opportunity and change, which I am incredibly excited for.
Outside of the Youth Council, I am a landlady at a local pub, and work behind the bar. This can be challenging as someone with tics, but I find that it is the perfect opportunity to educate the customers about stigmatised conditions and raise awareness of neurodiversity. I also go into schools and collages to run assemblies and lectures about TS, in the hope that it helps create a more ND friendly world for us all. In my free time I paint and make jewellery, which I sell to raise money for the charities that are close to my heart – in the last year I have raised nearly £2000 in this way.
In addition to my in-person advocacy, I also post about my experiences online to help raise awareness of Tourette’s and FND on platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. From this I have received hundreds of really supportive messages from people who my videos have impacted, and had some great opportunities arise such as talking to newspapers and radio stations, and appearing on the Channel 5 documentary “Teacher with Tourette’s”.
It has been a goal for me to be nominated for a National Diversity Award for a long time, and I am so grateful to have been put forward.
Thank you.