Autism Association of WA 2020 Annual Report

Community Development and Inclusion Developing the capacity of the Western Australian community to

opportunity to try a selection of sports that are run by experienced sports coaches with support from our staff. It was also a busy lead up to Christmas, co-hosting the fourth consecutive year of Sensitive Santa sessions at Lakeside Joondalup, Cockburn Gateway, Belmont Forum, Garden City Perth, and Karrinyup Shopping Centres. A total of 250 families attended these sessions with most children having their very first Santa photo. In collaboration with the Perth Royal Show, we supported families to access the show before the public opening times. This created an opportunity for many children to attend and experience the Royal Show for the first time. We also partnered with KMART to plan and launch their ‘Quiet Spaces’ initiative to allow a positive environment for people with Autism and their families to shop. We are working to develop more experiences for people with Autism and their families, including the development of a quiet sensory space for audience members attending various events at RAC Arena. We have also partnered with the Art Gallery of WA to provide consultancy and support to create inclusive spaces and experiences. As part of this initiative we provided Autism training for 30 volunteer guides and staff and launched our Arts for Autism competition for individuals with Autism to participate with the opportunity to share their work.

Over the last 12 months we worked with existing and new community organisations and venues to create a wealth of Autism friendly environments. Throughout the year, our team worked with local communities to create spaces that are more inclusive of people with Autism and their families. We also hosted a number of sensory events including a sensory occasion at Perth Zoo with special shows that created a calm and relaxed experience for all. Our second ‘Underwater Adventure’ with AQWA (Aquarium of Western Australia) was great fun for all, as was our very first Scitech Sensory Session which saw 200 families take part. We extended our work with the Perth Airport to make it easier for people with Autism and their families to travel. This included a number of Airport Familiarisation Tours as part of our Wings for Autism Program. We also worked with Perth Airport to develop a number of resources to support individuals with Autism, including sensory maps and Social Stories™ that are now available for families to download from the Autism Association and Perth Airport’s websites. In the sporting world, we continued into our second year of collaboration with the Ocean Heroes Surfing program for children and adults with Autism. This program provides a great opportunity for people who want to learn to surf. We also delivered 2 intensive Sports Academy programs this year. The aim of these programs is to provide teens with Autism an

support and welcome people with Autism. Throughout the year we worked with Good Start Childcares, WA Police, the Art Gallery of WA, the Western Australian Youth Orchestra (WAYO), Perth Airport, the Museum of WA and many more - to further the inclusion of children and adults with Autism.

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