It’s been a busy eight months for Amir Waseem since he picked up two Civil Service Diversity & Equality Awards from the cabinet secretary last December. The local resource analyst for HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has met senior figures from across Whitehall and discussed diversity with bosses in his own and other departments.
 
As well as winning the inspiration award, Amir was selected by Sir Gus O’Donnell for the cabinet secretary’s award. “Getting shortlisted in itself is an honour and I thought all the nominees had done a remarkable job... then Sir Gus O'Donnell announced my name as the overall winner of his award. It was like a dream and I think that's going to stay with me.”

Although he was diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy at the age of 14, Amir says he has never allowed his disability, or being in a wheelchair, to define him. “My friends and colleagues see me as an able-bodied person,” Amir says, suggesting that being open and approachable helped to break down any preconceptions work colleagues may have had. “You can get over the stereotyping about disability - for example, that a disabled person might not want to join in or something. As you talk to people and interact with them, they start interacting with you.”

Fortunately for Amir, he says that both his immediate colleagues and management have been “superb” in their attitudes since he entered the organisation five-and-a-half years ago. “I never had a problem from day one,” he says. “I never felt at any point that because of my disability I was being treated differently.”

Amir’s work at HMRC involves making sure that local contact centres, which handle tax enquiries from the public, are adequately staffed and the workers have all the training they need. “We monitor to ensure staff are available to man the phones, and that managers are there throughout the day to coordinate.”

But he’s also set his sights on a position with somewhat more responsibility, having applied to be a magistrate at Oldbury Magistrates’ Court in the West Midlands. “I've passed the second stage now; there's some sifting and then obviously your details get sent to the Lord Chancellor,” Amir says. “I'm waiting and hoping.”

He’s certainly achieved a lot already. Despite the hectic nature of the months since, he’s in no doubt that others deserve recognition through the D&E awards. “If someone's going above and beyond their normal role, then they should have the opportunity to get recognised for that.”

To find out more about the Diversity & Equality Awards, and to make a nomination before nominations close on June 26, please visit the website.