28/07/2026
Meet Cliff. A QA expert at Novartis in Austria and a Pride Ambassador...
"For 40 years, I carried a question that never seemed to have an answer:
Why did everything feel so much harder for me than it seemed for everyone else?
I spent decades trying to compensate. Working harder. Overpreparing. Hiding the parts of myself that felt different. Convincing myself that if I just tried a little more, I could finally fit in.
Then, at 40, I was diagnosed with ADHD.
What surprised me most wasn't the diagnosis itself. It was the overwhelming relief that came with it.
For the first time, I stopped seeing myself as broken. I understood that my struggles, my strengths, my way of thinking, feeling and experiencing the world were all connected. My brain wasn't wrong. It was simply different.
This Disability Pride Month, I'm sharing my story because disabilities aren't always visible. So many people are carrying challenges that others never see.
A little understanding can change someone's confidence.
A little acceptance can change someone's life.
And when we stop hiding who we are, we make space for everyone to belong."
