End of Year Message from the CEO

When 2020 began, Amaze was gearing up for a big year ahead, especially as we prepared to deliver Australia’s first national autism information helpline “Autism Connect” after being awarded this grant by the NDIA in 2019.

However, we quickly found out that 2020 was not going to be smooth sailing as COVID-19 hit Australia and the world. There was much uncertainty, disruption and anxiety, and the community needed us more than ever.

Through these times, I am proud that our autism advisors and peer support team adapted to be able to continue to work at full steam to support our community.

Throughout the pandemic and lockdown, we heard from autistic people and their families/carers on their struggles and ideas on coping. We also heard from them on what they needed improved.

One of the key areas of improvement needed was for better support of autistic students learning from home. We ran a Term 2 and Term 3 school survey to check in with how children and parents were coping with lockdown disruptions.

Amaze took those responses and used them to shape our advocacy to government agencies – including the Victorian Department of Education and Training (DET), the Department of Health & Human Services (DHHS), and the NDIA – about support for autistic students and their families during the pandemic.

It truly has been a year unlike any other.

But come November, we launched Autism Connect in Victoria, the ACT and Tasmania and the helpline has already helped more Australians. This was possible through wonderful partnerships with Marymead Autism Centre and Autism Tasmania to commence our national roll-out.  

Autism Connect has been one of my personal goals since 2015, when Amaze conceived Amaze Strategic Directions to 2040.

This plan was conceived with a focussed social impact goal to create a society that respects the dignity of every autistic person and offers them real opportunities to participate and contribute.

As we have implemented our Strategy we’ve been proud to be behind or part of some significant firsts for autistic people and their families this year:’

• First National Autism Helpline – Autism Connect, already in Victoria, ACT and Tasmania and fully rolled out across Australia by mid 2021.
• First mass media autism public education campaign in Australia – Change Your Reactions, which challenged the community to consider their attitudes and behaviours towards autistic people and make changes.
• First Autism Education Strategy in Australia – launched as part of transformative reforms for students with disabilities in Victoria.

Amaze is poised to seize many new challenges into the future, and we will continue to do this working with autistic people beside us, and guiding us.

I wish you a happy and safe holiday season – see you in 2021! 

Fiona Sharkie
Amaze CEO