Investing in inclusion “Autism Works in the Community” grants delivering for SA

17 South Australian organisations will receive grants from the Malinauskas Labor Government to increase knowledge, understanding and belonging for Autistic people and autism communities in South Australia.

The new ‘Autism Works in the Community’ grants program champions autistic voices and builds on a range of initiatives being developed by the State Government’s Office for Autism.

This funding of approximately $250,000 builds on the State Government’s nation-leading autism policy agenda.

It also delivers on commitments in the newly released State Autism Strategy to partner with organisations to support inclusive initiatives for Autistic people covering a variety of important life domains.

The successful grant recipients will deliver projects across metropolitan and regional communities, promoting inclusion in key areas of employment, community participation and autism awareness training.

Some of the grant recipients include:

• Adelaide Oval ($37,719): to construct a sensory space which will be ready in time for next year’s Gather Round, supporting its status as a world class venue.
• Spectrum Writing ($5,862): to produce and publish a printed anthology featuring Autistic writers
• Beach Road Wines ($2,200): to collaborate with Autism SA to expand their offerings of inclusive tourism experiences for neurodivergent communities
• KIK Innovation ($44,000): to deliver the ‘SEE ME’ project, supporting autistic students to work in a peer learning environment with direct links to employers who can promote Autism inclusion in their organisation or industry and pave the way for meaningful employment.

Full details of grant recipients can be found on the Office for Autism website: www.officeforautism.sa.gov.au

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Quotes

Attributable to Hon Emily Bourke MLC

As a State Government we have made a commitment to listening to the voices of the autistic and autism communities but more importantly, we are investing in inclusion and delivering on much needed change.

Building knowledge, understanding and belonging – these are the core principles that underpin these new grants and all of the Malinauskas Labor Government’s autism initiatives.

From establishing and investing over $4 million in the Autistic led Office for Autism, launching the State’s First Autism Strategy, creating an Autism Inclusion Charter which is being rolled out across government, creating the ‘AUTISM WORKS’ employment campaign, to bringing autism assessments onto school sites, we are leading the nation in making SA the autism inclusive state.

Attributable to Nick Addison CEO Adelaide Oval

Ensuring Adelaide Oval is a welcoming place for all guests is a constant priority and this grant enables us to take the next important step in creating a permanent sensory space.

We know from our experience offering temporary spaces during recent major events such as P!nk and the Matildas game that these facilities are very well received by those with sensory needs and the ability to make this a permanent part of the Adelaide Oval experience is something our team has been working hard to achieve.

Our thanks to the State Government and Office for Autism Grants Program for supporting us in making Adelaide Oval as inclusive as possible.

Attributable to Jason Fischer, CEO/Founder Spectrum Writing

At Spectrum Writing we guide autistic writers towards a creative profession, and with the support of the Assistant Minister and the Office for Autism we are now able to fund the publication and launch of our participants’ first ever volume of work.

Hyperfocus is a book that will weaponize their special interests and hyperfixations, and it promises to unleash their staggering imaginations upon the public. Not only will this book launch their careers as writers, but we hope it will give them and their families great pride and a sense of achievement.

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Background

Autism is a neurological developmental difference that impacts the way an Autistic person sees, experiences, understands and responds to the world. Every person’s lived experience of autism is different.

More than 200,000 Australians are Autistic. 1 in 4 Australians has an autistic family member. Autism is the largest primary disability group in the NDIS, and South Australia consistently sits above the national average, with around 41% of South Australian NDIS participants being Autistic.

*This document uses identity-first language throughout. We recognise there are people in the autistic community who prefer person-first language, people who prefer identity-first language and people who use the terms interchangeably.