Amaze Inclusion Statement

Amaze’s Vision is for an Australia that embraces Autistic people living their best lives.

Inclusion in Autistic lives would mean that education, employment, healthcare (including mental health), and recreational activities are adjusted to the needs of Autistic participants so that their participation can be successful.

For people with complex support needs unable to participate or advocate for their needs without significant assistance, supportive programs could provide the potential to engage with many aspects of mainstream society.

Sometimes with the best will and intentions, efforts to increase the inclusion of Autistic people can instead contribute to their isolation. At Amaze we recognise that some of the processes previously developed have failed to meet the needs of a significant proportion of the Autistic community.

The needs and challenges faced by Autistic people are different for each individual and can change over time. This is why ongoing listening to each Autistic individual and their family, to assess what adjustments will be necessary for their Inclusion, is crucial.

We want to see Inclusion in the lives of all Autistic people. To achieve this, we believe it must start from the premise of accommodating those needs that will make inclusion possible.

We believe adjusting an organisation’s overarching structures for support, resources and staff training will have the greatest impact for successful autism Inclusion. Equally, we believe supporting families to make informed choices about the educational, recreational and work settings best suited to an Autistic person’s capacities is critical.

Amaze’s Principles of Inclusion

Effective Inclusion for Autistic people is underpinned by the adoption of the following four principles:

1. The Right to an Informed Choice: Autistic people and their families are supported to make informed choices about the settings and ways in which they are included in educational, recreational, work and healthcare settings.
2. Individual, Ongoing Assessment: Schools, employers, health services and recreational bodies routinely seek out and listen to the voices of each Autistic participant to assess capacity for Inclusion.
3. Responsive Adjustment: The school, employer or other agency responds with tailored adjustments to their practices, facilities and expectations to ensure Autistic participants’ needs are accommodated
4. Ongoing Connection and Monitoring: Regular communication is maintained between the school, employer, healthcare provider or other agency and each Autistic participant and their family to monitor and respond to dynamic and changing needs in the setting.