Autism Association Annual Report 2023

Inclusive Communities Project

We continued to expand our community partnerships to create opportunities for individuals with Autism to participate in local community events and activities. Thanks to support from the Department of Communities, our Inclusive Communities program expanded to create collaborations with organisations across Western Australia with over 50 community collaborations established this year. In 2022/23, we launched the Inclusive Communities webpage, providing individuals, families and community members with information on upcoming events and access to downloadable resources to attend local venues. We hosted a wide range of sensory events at well-known venues, welcoming over 1,000 attendees at sensory sessions at the Western Australian Museum Boola Bardip, The Aquarium of Western Australia (AQWA), Art Gallery of Western Australia, The Backlot Perth, Scitech and Sensitive Santa sessions at local shopping centres. Autism Early Childhood Champions Our Autism Champions program provided intensive training and program development for 300 childcare providers across Western Australia. Simultaneously, the team developed a range of resources to support educators to adapt the environment and the early childhood curriculum to support greater inclusion of children with diverse learning needs. This year, the Autism Champions team was named as a finalist in the 2023 WA Disability Support Awards Excellence in Innovation category. This nomination recognised the significant contribution the program has made to improving inclusion and participation of children with Autism in childcare centres across Western Australia.

Autism Association of Western Australia - Annual Report 2023

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