“Having a disability doesn’t take away your permission to have fun”

At ING, we want our colleagues with disabilities and neurodiverse conditions to know that they belong, and that they play an invaluable part in helping us grow the difference. On 3 December, we celebrate International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD), in recognition of the diverse experiences so many of our colleagues bring, and who help to make ING a more creative and innovative organisation.

This year’s theme is ‘stepping forward’, and to make positive steps towards inclusion, it’s important we first listen to those with lived experiences of disability and neurodiversity. Today we hear from Jenny Mangar, from our customer loyalty team
for mortgages, who has a mild brain injury that affects her work and social life. She tells us about the lengths she goes to manage her disability – and how she’s determined to make the most of every day.

Hi Jenny! Can you tell us a little about your ING journey so far?

I’ve been with the company for nine years now, and it’s safe to say it’s been quite a rollercoaster! Having completed a master’s in international business communications, I began a role in the mortgage administration department, full of ambition and excited to be part of ING’s dynamic environment. But six months in, I suffered an accident that resulted in a traumatic brain injury. The recovery journey is very long, so it’s something I manage in my day-to-day work. But the ambition I had when I started hasn’t diminished, and I’m looking forward to seeing where my career can still take me.

How does your injury affect your work and personal life?

My life sort of feels like it’s been split in two. Before the accident, I could work more hours, had a busy social calendar and did lots of exercise, including my passion, dance. Now, I can only work 18 hours a week, and even that leaves me little energy to see friends or colleagues or get out and about. Any cognitive effort is incredibly tiring, and I have to be really careful not to push myself too hard. You can think of it like having energy coins to spend: if a healthy, able-bodied person has 100, I have about 10.

Other than fatigue, I also deal with things like noise and light sensitivity, painful headaches, and memory lapses, all of which can be frustrating and burdening on a daily basis. These symptoms also meant that when I returned to work, I had to effectively isolate myself from my colleagues to avoid getting overstimulated. It was a lonely period at times.

What’s one of the biggest misconceptions about your disability?

As someone with an invisible disability, I come up against people’s misconceptions a lot! There’s one anecdote that I think explains it well. I was at a social work event, having had to rest a lot beforehand and book the following day off work, and it was a rare moment when I could dance a bit and just enjoy myself. But somebody questioned how I could be at this party and not work full-time. That stung a bit, as they didn’t see how much effort it took for me to be there.

Of course, having a disability doesn’t take away your permission to have fun! You can be in a lot of pain and smile through it. It’s also good to remember this is something I’m still adapting to, and it’ll take time for me to get completely comfortable with my new way of life.

This year’s theme around IDPD is ‘stepping forward’. What does that mean to you?

For those of us who are neurodivergent or have a disability, I think we have an opportunity to speak up and help our colleagues understand what it’s like to be in our shoes. Raising awareness is so important especially for conditions that aren’t always visible.

At the same time, ING is stepping forward to become a company that truly reflects wider society, with all the diversity that entails. There’s room to make even more progress when it comes to accessibility and catering for employees with different needs. It’s my hope that should anyone at ING go through something similar to me, they’d have the right guidance and support to continue their career and know their contribution to ING’s success is still valued.