From Discovery to Advocacy - Nisar Mustafa

Nisar Mustafa, shares his personal journey as part of GAIN's My Place in This World Campaign.

After my discovery and dual diagnosis of Autism and ADHD in early 2025 I did not know if I would be able to work again or if working in the insurance industry was even right or possible for me anymore. All the online career questionnaires I did seem to think I would be suited working in an underwriting adjacent role, whether that was underwriting or compliance.  I wanted to make the most of my experience in the industry but now a new passion had arisen, and that was spreading understanding and awareness of neurodivergency. I wanted to spearhead the message of embracing diversity and being truly inclusive.

The problem was how could I achieve this duality and if so, how would that look. In that time I joined GAIN in around April 2025 and I found community with like-minded individuals through the coffee morning sessions on teams. Even though there were a handful of us that would join these, it was what I needed. Hearing others stories and experiences, sharing our knowledge - I could see the start, the possibility and the reality that in some way I could still belong within this sector.

Fast forward to today, where after 7 months job-searching and 5 months into my current role; not only have I re‑entered the industry, but I’ve found an environment that is willing to accept me, willing to learn and most of all (despite the odds)trying  to embrace diversity and be as inclusive as possible.

From day 1 I made my neurodivergent identity clear and those around me supported and listened as I told my story and shared my experiences.

That openness has created space for meaningful conversations, helped colleagues deepen their understanding of neurodiversity, and hopefully contributed to a more supportive and inclusive workplace culture.

I’ve also been able to connect with other neurodivergent colleagues, sharing strategies I use to manage my own support needs and helping others feel empowered to explore what works best for them.

Being open about my sensory needs has helped my manager for example better understand the harsh reality of how neurodivergent experiences can be debilitating and present day to day. How our support and adjustment needs can be dynamic dependant on environment and context. That visibility has strengthened empathy, improved communication, and increased awareness of how neurodivergent employees can be better supported across the company.

Sharing my journey has also encouraged others to reflect on their own experiences, with some now beginning their own paths toward recognising and embracing their own neurodivergence. I’m incredibly proud to be part of that.

My passion for advocacy has led me to join internal inclusion groups, driving the change from within and contributing to ongoing efforts to build a genuinely neuroinclusive workplace.

I’ve been heavily involved in Neurodiversity Celebration Week, where not only did I let my peers get a glimpse into my world through my story. I used what I have learned to create a guide for others, foster a sense of community, create a question and answer document and several education pieces and even get invited as a guest speaker in cross –departmental teams meetings.

The reception to this has been humbling, leading to many conversations with different colleagues sharing their own experiences of neurodivergency.

Recently, for Autism Acceptance Month I used my own internal ‘engage’ platform, within the company to produce 9 articles deep diving into all aspects of being Autistic.

This is only the beginning, later this year it will be Invisible Disabilities Week and I will be encouraging my peers to step forward and tell their story because keeping conversations around diversity, equity, and inclusion alive truly matters.

Have I found my place in this world, possibly? There is so much more work to do, where I am now is doing one thing right and that is listening and trying.

Rome wasn’t built in a day and the industry we’re in won’t change overnight. But with every neurodivergent voice, every story, every experience, every lesson learned we can drive that change. That is my place in this world.

Thank you to Nisar for sharing his journey. His is a real inspiration to the GAIN team. The reason why we do all we do everyday!