Self-Advocacy@Work website now available!
Autism CRC is excited to announce the release of the Self-Advocacy@Work website.
Empowering autistic people to self-advocate in the workplace
Self-Advocacy@Work helps autistic people navigate the world of employment, understand workplace rights, and develop self-advocacy skills through multi-media tools and resources. These include articles and videos covering topics such as:
- how-to self-advocate
- wellbeing at work
- workplace adjustments
- self-advocacy skills
- workplace rights and entitlements.
It also features real life stories from autistic people sharing their personal experiences of workplace topics.
"Designed to equip and empower autistic people to self-advocate for themselves in the workplace, Self-Advocacy @ Work is the perfect example of ‘by us, for us’, with the voices, experiences and needs of the autistic community embedded throughout," said Hayley Clapham, Autism CRC Project Officer and Sylvia Rodger Academy graduate who worked on the Self-Advocacy @ Work project.
Unlike other employment self-advocacy resources, all content on the website, has been created by autistic people, and designed to meet the accessibility needs of the autistic community.
The resource was announced by Commonwealth Minister for Social Services, the Hon. Amanda Rishworth MP, as part of an event in Adelaide highlighting Autism CRC’s transition planning tool myWAY Employability in October.
“The Government is proud to support Autism CRC to deliver evidence-based resources to support autistic people to map out and achieve their employment goals, communicate and champion their needs and strengths in the workplace, and engage successfully with employers and service providers,” Minister Rishworth said.
Autism and unemployment
It is well documented that autistic Australians experience high rates of unemployment.
The latest ABS figures show an unemployment rate for autistic people is 34.1%, more than triple the unemployment rate of people with other disabilities and almost eight times the rate for people without disability.
Research in 2020, by the Autistic Self Advocacy Network of Australia and New Zealand (ASAN AUNZ) revealed that employment was the second most significant topic (58%) for which autistic people wanted self-advocacy resources.
A review was undertaken, revealing that currently no employment self-advocacy resources were readily available, appropriate, or accessible for the autistic community. Hence, the Self-Advocacy @ Work resource was created.
For autistic people by autistic people
Self-Advocacy @ Work has been developed by and for autistic people.
Throughout the process, we consistently heard from autistic people of the need for resources, to include the autistic voice, and for resources to be autistic-led and co-designed.
The autistic development team were engaged throughout the entire process, from planning, through to development and delivery. Sylvia Rodger Academy alumni were involved in all aspects including the co-design, user testing interviews and content development.
Autism CRC would like to thank everyone who contributed to the co-design, content development and delivery of Self-Advocacy @ Work. Thanks also to the Autistic Self Advocacy Network of Australia and New Zealand for their contributions.
Self-Advocacy @ Work and the Sylvia Rodger Academy are initiatives of Autism CRC. Self-Advocacy @ Work was developed with funding from the Australian Government.