An NHS healthcare assistant from St Albans has shared the story of her journey to find happiness in the workplace after a serious brain injury eight years ago.

With July being Disability Pride Month, Stef Harvey has shared her story to promote inclusivity at work.

The 52-year-old's life changed in February 2016 when she fell and cracked her head while on a kayaking trip with her family.

While no obvious injuries were found, it soon became apparent that Stef had suffered a major brain injury - something she says "can happen to anybody."

"Having Disability Pride Month is an opportunity to make it known that there are people who face extra challenges every day but still get up and get on," she said.

"Sometimes there's a sense that we need to squash down our disabilities but pride is about not squashing it and being proud of the superpowers that our disabilities give us."

Prior to her injury Stef was training to become a teacher, and while she tried to return to work, things worsened and it became clear she could no longer continue in her role.

Stef lost the ability to speak and had to slowly re-learn English over a period of several months, with some noises turning into French.

She says: "All of a sudden I turned into one of those people that I used to help."

Her love of helping people meant that a position as a healthcare assistant with West Herts Teaching Hospitals appealed to her.

But there would be challenges adjusting, as she explains with the example of a "loud ringing bell" that would leave her "cowering and covering my ears."

Stef says she told the Matron about the impact the noise has on her and other neurodivergent patients and the bell was soon shelved.

She points to this as an example of the ignorance around challenges faced by those with disabilities.

Stef praises her colleagues for the work they've done to make her workplace more accessible, saying: "The workplace was very lonely whereas now people know that I have day to day fluctuations and they're aware and understanding of that."

"I want to advocate for other people to understand how to make the workplace more accessible."

She admits that after her injury she became withdrawn and depressed, feeling a fear of interacting with people.

Suggested Reading:

• What is happening to Samuel Ryder's Exhibition Hall?

• What are the most and least expensive streets in Harpenden?

• 5 Herts planning applications you should know about

For Stef, Disability Pride Month is so important because of the hurtful, yet often well-meaning comments that people can make, such as it being remarked that she is often "away with the fairies."

On this, she says: "It can really be damaging to hear derogatory labelling and it is an unfortunate way to put people in boxes and categories that they will struggle to release themselves from."

Life can still be a struggle for Stef, with extensive support needed at home and at work.

But she always looks to find the positives, especially with her disability.

She says: "Disability Pride is so important because it's about showing that we are people not labels and that we are more than the sum of the challenges we face."

Disability Pride Month is marked every July and seeks to celebrate and advocate for the 14.1 million people in the UK who have a disability.