Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time.South Australian politician Emily Bourke didn’t realise she was taking on a world first when her government created an Office for Autism just over a year ago. But the more she talked to people and families around the state, the more she knew it was needed.
“The autistic community have done lots of research into this and found 84 per cent of people know the word autism, but only 29 per cent have knowledge of autism. These were concerning statistics to us.” Almost everyone with an autism diagnosis who applies for the scheme is successful because people with a level two or three autism diagnosis are automatically eligible. Last year, 97 per cent of people with autism who applied for the NDIS were accepted, compared with 76 per cent of all applicants.and refocus eligibility on people’s needs.
A survey of parents published by her organisation on Tuesday shows 35 per cent of families of autistic children said they were discouraged or refused enrolment for their child at school, half of whom were in the public system. It’s a daunting task for education ministers, whose systems are already stretched by workforce shortages. But in South Australia, Emily Bourke has had a few ideas, starting with getting an autism inclusion teacher into every public primary school.
Her Office for Autism has launched an “Autism Works” campaign to guide employers on best practice. It’s being pushed on tram wraps, at Adelaide Oval, in newspapers. A workplace audit,Companies are encouraged to build their knowledge. They should consider their physical environments, and whether they are prone to causing sensory overload that autistic people might struggle with: think bright lights, loud noises, kitchen smells.
Information technology firm auticon is doing that work. It pairs autistic employees with client companies and helps everyone work together. Bodo Mann, the Australia and New Zealand chief executive, says awareness is the starting point. For James Van Dyke, who was diagnosed with autism at four years old, workplace awareness has made a massive difference. He never struggled too much with school, but finding work took more than a year. “After graduating, I applied to a whole bunch of different companies. I didn’t really hear back from many of them and for others, I didn’t get far through the whole interview process.”
Source: Healthcare Press (healthcarepress.net)
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