Umbrella display in Milton Keynes highlights neurodiversity
Hundreds of brightly coloured umbrellas will be suspended above a city shopping centre for six months to raise awareness of neurodiversity.The Umbrella Project is launching its latest installation in Milton Keynes on Saturday to symbolise "the wide spectrum of neurodivergent experiences", including autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and dyslexia.Four hundred umbrellas - covering 860 sq m (2,821 sq ft) - will be on display at Midsummer Place, in Midsummer Boulevard."An umbrella provides protection, much like the neurodiversity movement advocates for acceptance, understanding, and inclusion," said Jane Lambert, one of the project leaders.
"We invite people to visit the centre, experience The Umbrella Project and learn about the neurodivergent community around them," she added.
One of the speakers at Saturday's day-long launch event, which begins at 10:00 GMT and includes talks and performances, is Bekka Prideaux, from Leighton Buzzard, who runs a business consultancy.She said she wanted to join the MK Umbrella project "because I don't want other people to go through the negative experiences I did, especially at school and early in my career"."I was asked to speak as I am a dyslexic thinker and this has been instrumental in my career success."As a child I was labelled 'stupid', as I was not able to read and write or do my times tables. "I knew I saw the world differently and that there were things I found easy that others found hard. "By learning to use my strengths, I have been able to solve complex business problems," said Ms Prideaux.
The project, run by the charity the ADHD Foundation, has previously visited Liverpool, Cardiff and Aberdeen.It hoped "to position Milton Keynes as a city that backs the wider social movement towards more understanding, acceptance and celebration of neurodiversity".
Hester Grainger, from Norfolk, is also speaking at Saturday's launch.She runs a consultancy called Perfectly Autistic with her husband, Kelly. They both have ADHD and her husband is also autistic."Being officially diagnosed with ADHD in my forties and being mum to two autistic/ADHD teens, it will be great to connect with others who are on a similar journey."It can often feel isolating, whether you have ADHD or are autistic, or parenting neurodivergent children, so this fantastic event will be an amazing opportunity to come together and embrace the positives that being neurodivergent brings," said Ms Grainger.
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