#171 From Awareness to Acceptance to Action with Martin Griffin

Welcome to the 171st episode of the award-winning Diverse Minds podcast. This month’s theme is all about intersectionality and disability. To join me in talking about this in greater detail, this week I am joined by Martin Griffin. 

About my guest

Martin is a UK-based Senior Mining Geotechnical Engineer who is a chartered engineer and chartered geologist and works for the international multidisciplinary niche consultancy Knight Piésold in their London office.  He is neurodivergent (autistic dyslexic and dyspraxic) and registered as disabled by being visually impaired.  Presently, he specialises in mining and ground risk and uncertainty and works on geotechnical engineering aspects of international mining projects from their concept to closure.  Martin has also been involved in ground engineering teams for several UK civil engineering megaprojects. 

Currently, Martin is serving as an elected Geological Society Council Member and a former committee member of several other national executives (British Geotechnical Association, Association of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Specialists, and Ground Forum), Geological Society Scrutineer for chartership candidates, Keratoconus-UK charity trustee, international journal peer reviewer for several technical and specialist journals, STEM Ambassador to local secondary schools and a Ground Forum / STEER mentor for underrepresented groups. Martin has been a lay EDI Champion and Advocate since 2013 in the geoscience and engineering sectors for underrepresented groups, acting as an advisor, mentor, and is frequent LinkedIn blogger on all aspects of EDI, disability and neurodiversity.

In today’s show

• About Martin and the work he does. [02:31]
• What the term Inclusive workplace in relation to disability means to him. [07:35]
• The biggest challenges for workplaces moving in from awareness [14:26]
• Some things that workplaces can do to create an accessibility and usability mindset. [17:47]
• His top 3 tips for looking after her mental health. [23:17]

Quotes

• Sleep, rest and recover.
• Do something you really enjoy.
• When you meet one person with Autism, you’ve met one person with Autism.
• I get sad when I see the lack of role models in engineering,
• I think training has to be given to every line manager and not just from top-down leadership.

Connect

• Martin on LinkedIn

Work with me

Have a look at my online work-life balance course on Thinkific