23 Oct 2026 | Posted by Leah Cassady
Aimee Smith means it when she says: “Becoming an Acis tenant changed mine and my kid’s lives.”
Aimee has ADHD, Autism and juggles a busy family life. The mum of six from Gainsborough is the first to admit that before discovering Acis, life was a rollercoaster of ill physical and mental health, personal challenges and unemployment.
Fast forward six years and Aimee is now a tutor and valued member of the team at Clip – one of Acis Group’s education providers – has shed six stone in weight and has transformed her physical and mental health.
“For me personally, my mental health has done a complete 180. But also my physical health, I've lost over six stone and I'm not at home feeling sorry for myself, everything in my life has changed,” she said.
“It's not just one little thing, it's everything altogether, it is such a supportive place to be. Your home life is considered, your physical and mental health needs are considered and I feel genuinely supported in life - not just at work but everywhere.”
Aimee first contacted Acis when her health challenges forced her to seek a home with adaptations which simply weren’t available in her privately rented accommodation.
Aimee said: “Quite quickly they found me somewhere that was really appropriate for my needs and made it even more ideal for me with further adaptations.
“They have done a lot for me. I was at a point where I was sleeping on the sofa uncomfortably because I couldn't get up the stairs.
“Becoming an Acis tenant changed mine and my kid’s lives. It made our home life a lot more settled. I've been there for six years and I wouldn't leave if you paid me.”
Like many people, finding the right home is often the foundation and springboard to better things. For Aimee, it was life changing.
When she enrolled her son on the Flare programme at Clip at The Bridge in Gainsborough, she was asked about volunteering to support other young learners.
She explains: “When my son left Year 11 he hadn't done great. I found Flare which sounded ideal for him.
“I started volunteering around Christmas 2022 and by February half-term I was coming in every day. It wasn't all day every day, but when I was needed and when I needed something for me, I could come here.
“For my mental health that was amazing because I had been registered disabled for about a decade before coming into this and it built my confidence slowly and gradually enough to be a part of society again. I enjoyed it and I didn't want to leave.”
Pictured above is Aimee Smith on the left and Aimee with colleague Lucy Binns on the right
Aimee's impact in the team was significant and it led bosses to offer her a position as a wellbeing support worker - as well as being put onto the timetable for the following academic year, voluntarily teaching the Enterprise Project.
During that time, Acis funded Aimee to do an Award in Education and Training (AET) qualification which she needed to be able to tutor over 14s.
By chance, one of the tutors was going on maternity leave and so Aimee stepped into that temporary position.
She added: “I continued with my own personal development and at the end of the last academic year, with my colleague coming back, I applied for a permanent role and have been offered the position.
“So this year, I get to be here full time in my own job, my own room with my own lessons and I am really looking forward to it.”
Aimee loves what she does and finds it rewarding to help children achieve things they may not have thought possible.
“Getting to know your students here is the most important thing, to make them feel valued and comfortable is what we do and I think that's the biggest difference. The smaller classrooms, smaller class sizes and slower pace is great, but the team does a lot as well.
“We do get disclosures and we do have difficult conversations, but everybody in our team understands. I have autism and ADHD and I have a lot of children at home also with trauma, autism, ADHD and other disabilities. So, I feel like that makes me relatable.
“When I come in and they say to me, I can't do that, I'm autistic. I say no, I'm autistic and if I can stand up here and help you, then there is no reason that you can't.”
Aimee said the ADHD assessment periods are still so long that she has been told she has it but doesn’t have a piece of paper to back it up or the ability to try and manage it with medication.
She explains: “I’ve been lucky finding the team at Clip in Gainsborough, they support me and share strategies and management techniques. I’ve had mental health support frequently throughout my life but as it stands, there is no more I can do to support the levels of anxiety I have as it all comes from the intrusive thoughts ADHD forces upon me.
“I want to be clear that having ADHD and having Autism and ADHD is very different, I have an autistic need for routine and order counteracted by my spontaneous, cluttered ADHD so they fight against each other all the time.
“With everything there are positives and negatives - it's about your mindset, willingness to learn and commitment to finding other route to the same place.”
Now Aimee wants to share her experience with Acis Group to encourage others to reach out to the charity: “It doesn't really matter what support you need. Acis has a department that will help and support you,” she said.
“We have Clip that provides education for young people as well as Riverside Training that offers education and support for adults.
“We also have so many wellbeing services, groups and support that if you need anything, it’s worth asking somebody from Acis if they can support you, because the chances are they can!”