How I Work (Neurodivergently) - Tim Chan

This week we have Autistic advocate (and fellow board member) Tim Chan joining us for the How I Work Neurodivergently series! Tim is one of the most articulate writers and diligent researchers I have worked with, and much of the erudite policy commentary from Reframing Autism is due to his input. Much of my own thinking about Universal Design and inclusive facilitation has been influenced by his advice and work, especially around asynchronous engagement.

If there's someone you'd love to see featured, or you're interested in sharing how you work, please let me know! We all have something to share.

Name: Tim Chan

Location: Melbourne, Victoria

Current gig: Full time studies, part time advocacy work

One word that best describes how you work: Obsessively

Neurodivergent: Diagnosed with Autistic Disorder at 3 years of age

First of all, tell us a little about your work background and how you got to where you are today:

My name is Tim Chan, 28 years old, male (he/him). I second generation Chinese Australian.

I am an autistic nonspeaker, diagnosed at 3 with AD and significant developmental delays.

Lost speech at 14 months old, and despite intensive intervention including speech therapy and EIBI, am unable to speak.

It took years before I was able to piece together the vital information about the world around me which helped me to navigate life more effectively. Through sheer bloody mindedness, I have managed to complete mainstream high school, graduate from university with a BA Honours, and currently studying in a PhD course.

Looking back on this long and arduous journey, from a toddler with no speech and huge developmental delays, I have come to realise the vital importance of communication in living meaningfully. Communication is the essence of what makes us human.

I learned assisted typing as Facilitated Communication (FC), in typing on a speech generating device with physical, regulatory and attentional support from a facilitator at 9 years old, and which has become my preferred method for communication.

Study and job responsibilities:

I am currently studying for a PhD at Australian Catholic University, Melbourne campus. My topic is ‘The neurodiversity movement, its history and impact on Australian Autism advocacy”

I am also involved in advocacy work to bat for the autistic community, especially people without speech. I work for certain organisations including Reframing Autism, Autism Actually, Amaze and I Can Network.

A typical work week:

Studies - I get up early, before 6am, and usually start my reading around 6.15. This may take a couple of hours. With the reading, I take notes and start writing drafts. A break around 9.30 when I go for a long walk. After lunch, I resume writing or a revision of drafts for another 3 hours. In the late afternoon, I take another long walk. I leave the evenings free.

Advocacy work - During the week, there may be meetings with people like my supervisors or with my advocacy work. These will be scheduled into the week between my study commitments.

During weekends, I will take around 3-4 hours to read and write up drafts for webinars, etc. as I need to prerecord material for presentations.

What’s your workspace setup like?

Desk for laptop, iPad, Lightwriter, my speech generating device. A comfortable chair in a quiet room.

What apps, gadgets, or tools can’t you live without?

Laptop, iPad, and the Lightwriter. Office 365, Zoom, Teams.

Do you stim? If so, how and when?

I stim most of the time in regulating frequent and incessant overload and high anxiety levels.

I love walking and looking at patterns of light on trees.

Water, with long showers. When opportunity allows, sitting or walking along the beach.

I use some stim toys and gadgets but not too much and usually at home, like spinners or slinky.

How do you align your neurodivergence with your work environment? (e.g. planning, supports, environmental)

I need to feel I can handle things comfortably in study or work environments. In face to face events/meetings, I would familiarize myself with the location (how to get there), the set up (halls, lecture theatres or studios for filming) and the people (who I interact with). I will be making a preliminary visit to orientate myself. I will also speak to the people involved beforehand, like arrange a meeting my lecturers I have for the first time.

At such events, I also check access for my requirements in attendance with my support person or facilitator.

Are there any challenges or misconceptions that you've faced in your work? How have you addressed them?

Misconceptions are routine, as people don’t usually have the experience of interacting with nonspeakers. I usually forewarn people that I do assisted typing and require a facilitator for additional physical, attentional and regulatory support. I also arrange a preliminary meeting with people to give a live demonstration and answer questions for clarifying things.

I also ask for questions to be sent to me for preparation well before hand, in drafting a response and pre-recording to back up my delivery during tutorials, meetings or work sessions.

How do you keep track of what you have to do?

I work obsessively, as I like to get on top of things. First, I make a list of to-do things for a topic. Second, I get to the stages of orientation, preparation, writing and revision. Last, I’ll prepare visuals and do prerecording. By following the steps set up, I keep track of where I am and what’s coming next.

How do you recharge or take a break?

Long walks, a holiday close to the beach as I love walking on the sand and watching the waves, any weather.

Catching up with friends (the few who know me well and understand my idiosyncrasies).

What’s your favourite passion/interest/side project?

I want to learn more about resilience, so I love interesting places with exhibitions depicting how people overcome adversity, e.g. the Jewish Holocaust Centre, the Shrine, the National War Museum (Canberra).

I also like political thrillers and well-made documentaries and films.

What are you currently reading/listening to?

I am revisiting the documentary, National Bird, on the US drone program, that features the experiences of 3 protagonists who worked at consoles overseeing the activation of aerial attacks from drones to take out people considered security risks at trouble spots on the other side of the world. It’s very moving to watch these whistleblowers who talked about how their job of eliminating suspected terrorists affected their mental health. For example, one of the protagonists, Lisa, said that she felt she's lost part of her humanity in targeting insurgents for elimination. I am humbled by their compassion for human suffering in that they felt compelled to speak out against the drone program even if it meant loss of job and respect of workmates and/or prosecution.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

I was lucky to meet a very special person, a Holocaust survivor whose father was kicked to death by the Nazis, and who also lost other extended family members. She was hiding in a cellar of sympathetic non-Jewish relatives during the war. She spoke Polish, French and Russian, but no English when she first migrated to Australia after the war. She took English classes and subsequently became an acclaimed poet and author with work published in English.

When I asked her how she coped with her traumatic WWII experiences, she said, she pushed herself to reaffirm the meaning of life by finding reminders of what’s important, and to keep doing the best she could because there’s no other way. She taught me about resilience by example.

Anything else you'd like to tell us?

I am becoming more comfortable with the fact that my autistic challenges, e.g. in communication, etc. are framed by my take on life. Because of my differences, I experience things in unique ways and have original perspectives which may not be available to most people. I am learning to accept and value these differences and to make the most of them in navigating life.