United Co. reached out to member ‘Positive Partnerships’ at the beginning of Autism Acceptance Month to highlight some key activities and workshops they are progressively doing to promote an inclusive culture.
Working in partnership with families, educators and communities to strengthen positive outcomes for young people on the autism spectrum – “Positive Partnerships“ creates connections & opportunities for an inclusive culture.
When you are highlighting inclusion and autism there’s a lot to say and a lot to be done. We discussed some of the work our member Positive Partnerships does through an interactive Q&A session.
Q. What are the Core activities being carried out by ‘Positive Partnerships’ during Autism Acceptance Month?
A. Every year, on the 2 April, the world has traditionally celebrated World Autism Awareness Day.
This year Positive Partnerships want to do a lot more than just create awareness about autism – we want to create understanding and acceptance, by celebrating #LifeOnTheAutismSpectrum.
Aspect is launching a social media campaign asking autism communities – Autistic people, parents and carers, those who support someone on the autism spectrum, and our Aspect staff members – to celebrate World Autism Understanding Day (WAUD) by sharing stories that will help people to better understand autism and Autistic people.
Positive Partnerships recognises autistic people and their lived experiences throughout the whole month of April. Also, we will be sharing the results of two ground-breaking research projects that are the first of their kind in the Australian context:
- Culture and Connection – Building strong home-school partnerships with culturally and linguistically diverse families of autistic children
- Strengthening Partnerships – Autistic parents’ experiences with Australia’s schools.
If you are interested you can view the recording of the presentation HERE.
Finally, we will be celebrating Understanding and #LifeOnTheAutismSpectrum at our annual Aspect Recognition awards event.
Q. How can you connect better with an autistic coworker or person in your personal environment?
A. The current research suggests that within a group of 100 people, 1 or 2 of them will be on the autism spectrum. Autism can be diagnosed in people in all areas from all cultural and economic backgrounds. The characteristics of autism appear in early childhood, but it may be difficult to recognise them in infants and very young children.
Positive Partnerships offers free workshops around Australia to provide information and strategies to support students, families and schools. Webinars and online learning hubs extend the reach with professional learning modules and more.
Positive Partnerships works with school-aged children, their families and school networks and we have a range of information about autism and how to be a good communication partner on their website, all free to access in a self-paced format.
Q. What can managers do if they would like to make their workplace more inclusive for people on the spectrum?
A. Alongside communication and social interaction differences and preferences, understanding the impact of sensory processing differences are crucial in a work setting. All evidence-based modules are available for you at the online learning hub. There are some great examples within the private sector where the strengths and interests of people on the spectrum are embedded within their teams, including at ANZ.
About Us.
At United Co, we love the work that Positive Partnerships and Aspect are doing and the contributions they make to our community. We aim for our workspaces to be welcoming and inclusive and designed our spaces to be accessible for all. If you like to know more about our shared workspace, contact us today.
