The child I was
I was the child who never caused trouble.
I listened. I followed instructions. I did what parents and other adults asked of me.
I was the good child.
But I had my own thoughts, ideas and dreams. I felt things deeply. I noticed the smallest changes in someone's tone of voice, their expressions and the atmosphere around me.
I often wondered why I experienced the world differently from others.
I wanted to discover who I really was, but I was also learning to become the person others expected me to be.
And somewhere along the way, I began to lose confidence in myself.
I wasn't trying to be difficult. I was trying to belong.
I wanted to be seen, too
I was shy. But that didn't mean I wanted to be invisible.
Sometimes, I wanted to be the confident one. To speak freely, share ideas and feel comfortable being noticed.
I watched how easily confident people attracted attention. Their voices were heard. Their ideas remembered.
There was nothing wrong with their confidence.
But I began to wonder why I couldn't be like them.
So I became quieter.
I listened. I observed. I thought.
And gradually, I started believing that perhaps I had less to offer.
Being overlooked had begun to feel like being worth less.
Why I created AS visible
I know my experience isn't everyone's experience.
People can feel different or overlooked for many reasons. Perhaps they learn differently, communicate differently, speak with an accent, experience sensory difficulties or simply don't fit the expectations around them.
And being quiet doesn't always mean someone is struggling.
But I know how easily a person can begin to question their own value when they feel unseen.
I think about the children who never cause trouble. The ones adults describe as absolutely fine.
And perhaps they are.
But do we know what they're thinking? What they're feeling? Who they are when they aren't trying to meet our expectations?
I think about adults who have brilliant ideas but hesitate to speak, or who spend their breaks alone because a busy staff room feels overwhelming.
I want us to notice those people, too.
Not because confident, outgoing people are doing anything wrong. We need their voices just as much.
We don't need everyone to become quieter. We need to become better at hearing everyone.
That's why I created AS visible.
To encourage parents to see the child in front of them.
To help teachers recognise abilities that aren't always immediately obvious.
To challenge workplaces to value different ways of communicating, contributing and leading.
And to remind anyone who has spent years feeling not quite good enough that their worth was never dependent on being more like someone else.
You matter. Full stop.
You always did.
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