Mirus Ambassadors: A year on

In April 2024, Alex and Adam officially became Mirus Ambassadors when they signed their employment contracts.

The Mirus Ambassadors initiative started as a pilot scheme, with the goal of employing more autistic people and people with learning disabilities and mental health conditions. Nearly a year on, Alex and Adam continue to work on projects that matter to them. They also spend one day a week in our Cardiff and Bridgend offices, supporting the Admin Team.

Adam: Leading autism awareness training

Adam (right) delivering training with Casey

Adam has been working with the Learning and Development Team to lead autism awareness training for new staff. He delivers part of the session alongside Casey Marchant, Positive Support Practitioner. Adam reads key slides, asks participants what they already know about autism, and encourages discussion about what they hope to learn.

Adam said: “I enjoy taking part in the autism awareness training because it is very important for people to understand people with autism – it is not a condition, but a part of your personality.”

He added: “The training helps staff to realise how we should respect people with autism or learning disabilities. As an autistic person myself, I want people to see autism as something special.”

Casey enjoys leading the training with Adam, sharing: “Working alongside Adam is always positive. He shares personal experiences and practical ways to support people with autism, which has transformed the training.

 

“Adam is passionate about educating new staff about autism – he creates a welcoming space where people feel comfortable asking questions.”

The training is already making a real difference, and we have received positive feedback from people who have participated. One person said: “Casey and Adam were very good – one of my favourite sessions so far.”

Alex: Making banking more accessible

Alex (right) meets with Josh

Many people with a learning disability struggle to get a debit card because of banking policies and restrictions. Alex knows this challenge first-hand, and wants to change things.

Alex said: “I’ve been to places where they’ve said ‘Sorry, it’s card only’. Sometimes, people look at you as if to say, ‘Why haven’t you got a card?’”

Since August 2024, Alex has worked with Joshua Reeves, BEM, Founder of Don’t Call Me Special and Engagement Officer at Leonard Cheshire. Together, they have been navigating the process of getting a debit card to identify the barriers and work with the Finance Team to find ways to overcome them.

Joshua said: “The whole point of this process is to do stuff yourself and getting treated by society fairly. Everyone on this earth should be entitled to a bank account to access their money.”

It wasn’t easy. When Alex and Joshua first went to the bank, they were told that, since the pandemic, some banks no longer open accounts in branches. On their second visit, they were told they had the wrong paperwork.

But in February 2025, Alex received his own debit card. His support team is now supporting him to set up a budget and decide how much money to transfer into his new account.

The next step is to support 20 people across Mirus to apply for a debit card and see if they face the same challenges. We’ll share more soon about who will take part and what happens next.

Alex and Adam are excited to continue working on projects that make a difference.