http://www.autismstepaustralia.com.au" target="_blank">Autism STEP Australia is a leading provider of autism training in Australia.

This Emergency Response Program is an extension of the award-winning video "Ask me what I need. It won the Resilience Award 2020. The Resilient Australia Awards celebrate and promote initiatives that build whole of community resilience to disasters and emergencies around Australia, as well as images capturing resilience in action. The awards recognise collaboration and innovative thinking across all sectors.

The Resilient Australia Awards is proudly sponsored by the Australian Government in partnership with the states and territories and managed by the Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience (AIDR).

Autism awareness and acceptance are lagging behind in the general community. Large social barriers such as stigma and prejudice are why training of this kind is new. Autism education is currently disseminated through a ‘need to know' basis.

When our 2020 emergency responders training video ‘Ask Me What I Need’ launched, it was praised as ‘a first of its kind resource’ for addressing the needs of autistic people and bridging a training blind spot.

THE WORKSHOP

This workshop is suitable for first-responders, educators, healthcare professionals, and employer organisations, as well as any person interested in the protection of autistic people.

WORKSHOP FACILITATORS

Berinda Karp

Owner & Educator - AutismSTEP Australia

Berinda has more than 35 years of experience supporting people with intellectual disability, neurodiverse conditions and autism across all ages. She has been a teacher and a TAFE vocational educator. She is focused on helping people with autism transition into higher education and further education. She has five Degrees. Including a MA in Education, a Dip. Counselling and studying toward a PhD in Autism.

Haydn Payne
Founder of Spectrumite / Autistic Peer Mentor & Autism Lived Experience Storyteller

Haydn Payne is the owner and founder of Spectrumite, a peer mentor, youth worker, dual diagnosis professional, and qualified trainer Assessor. A success story stemmed over 17 years for Berinda Karp, Haydn now assists in delivering programs designed by his mentor including the award-winning "Ask me what I need". He is also working toward building his own programs for Autistic youth and adults both independently and in collaboration with AutismSTEP Australia.