Autism Awareness Day – 2 April

Autism Australia is the country’s leading advocate for Australians with autism.

“Our mission is to spark positive change by increasing education and understanding of autism in Australia. We hope our efforts will lead to earlier diagnosis, access to effective interventions and more meaningful supports to help people on the spectrum reach their full potential.”

“We are developing a digital tool kit called Autism…What Next?. It will be a central hub to help individuals and families navigate the diagnostic process…” you can read the 2020 Survey Report below sharing the needs and concerns of not only families with early and childhood diagnosis, but adults with late diagnosis who find themselves navigating autism with limited direction. Please find the report below the video.

Here are just a few disability-led Australian Arts companies in the performing arts sector.

• A_tistic – A_tistic is a team of multidisciplinary neurodiverse artists, consultants and educators located in Naarm/Metropolitan Melbourne, Australia. Using our style of Spectrum Theatre, we aim to bring autistic lives, insights and experiences to the stage.
• Tutti Arts – Tutti Arts is South Australia’s only multi arts organisation where artists with a disability create visual art, theatre, music, dance, film, digital media and installations for a growing local and international audience. Tutti as also home to Company AT, an adult theatre ensemble for autistic actor-performers.
• Indelability Arts – We seek to fill a gap within arts and disability service provision, particularly for school leavers, by offering ongoing, skills-based training in the arts and creating professional artistic opportunities for community members with disabilities.
• No Strings Attached – mission is to lead the way in training, services and opportunities for disabled artists by creating world class theatre, and we support members to develop career paths in the performing arts. We value entertainment and advocacy, individuality and community, unity and diversity. And we especially appreciate humour. No Strings Attached Theatre of Disability is community-based and contemporary. We perform on stage, off stage, back stage and in the office. Everyone is welcome.
• The Other Film Festival – The Other Film Festival is a ground-breaking disability-led initiative that has put Deaf and Disabled people at the centre of the Australian screen industry for almost 20 years. Founded in 2004, it is Australia’s first international disability film festival and is a major artistic program of Arts Access Victoria.
• Arts Access Victoria – Established in 1974, Arts Access Victoria (AAV) is the state’s peak body for arts and disability. As a disability-led arts organisation, AAV is at the forefront of innovative disability arts practice, access and inclusion. We aim to achieve cultural equity for Deaf and Disabled Victorians.
• Sensorium Theatre: Winner of the 2020 APATA National Social Change Maker Award. Frankie Italiano and Michelle Hovane created Sensorium Theatre, Australia’s first multi-sensory theatre for children with disabilities. ‘I’m grateful that we [have been] able to forge our way into the cultural landscape … the fact that we’ve kind of stuck to our guns and are now at a point where people not only accept what we do but support it and encourage it and we’re getting kids into theatre who hadn’t accessed that before… that’s great!…it’s lucky in life to be doing what we love doing.’ READ: APATA Sensorium Theatre Article & LISTEN: Sensorium Theatre Podcast

Having wrapped up their annual livestreamed panels ahead of 2 April’s Autism Awareness Day, we just had to share this beautiful film created by Autism Australia called DAD – a film about autism and fatherhood.