Today I had the privilege of speaking to Red Hat Israel about my ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), a physical neurological and developmental disability affecting an estimated 10% of the population. The talk covered some of the common symptoms of ADHD, how it affects my life and work, and how we can as a company and society lower the stigmas and increase our understanding and acceptance of people like me.
Honestly I was nervous as heck to talk about such personal things, but the people here demonstrated open hearts, pointed questions, willingness to learn and desire to improve and accept others. Multiple people came up to me after and told me I had given them a lot to think about in their own lives, and others told me they were gratified to hear these things - which many of us have silently carried in shame for years - spoken of in public.
Posted on the wall (in Hebrew) are some of the unhelpful things that people with ADHD often hear when disclosing their disability:
Honestly I was nervous as heck to talk about such personal things, but the people here demonstrated open hearts, pointed questions, willingness to learn and desire to improve and accept others. Multiple people came up to me after and told me I had given them a lot to think about in their own lives, and others told me they were gratified to hear these things - which many of us have silently carried in shame for years - spoken of in public.
Posted on the wall (in Hebrew) are some of the unhelpful things that people with ADHD often hear when disclosing their disability:
- You can't have ADHD, you're able to concentrate
- You're just lazy
- You just don't care enough
- You're just a drug addict
- You have so much potential
- You're such a spaz!
- Pills are the easy way out (would you tell that to a diabetic?)
- You'll grow out of it
- Everyone has ADHD
I was (and still am) concerned about being labelled or worse. But after the talk I heard feedback both public and private from people also dealing with this disorder. Some approached me privately describing how they wondered for years why it was so much harder for them, and are now as a result of my talk considering seeking an evaluation. Hearing that made any potential risks worthwhile.
