The Autistic Voices forum is only open to Autistic people. If you are a family member, carer, support worker, professional or organisation or other stakeholder, please register for the open community forum in this location.

Participants are welcome to bring a support person if needed, but support people may not take part in the discussion themselves. If you have questions about this or wish to discuss it further, please contact us at engage@thesocialdeck.com

Join us for the Autistic Voices forum, to have your say on the development of a National Autism Strategy (the Strategy).

The Strategy is being developed to help autistic people across Australia have better opportunities in life. It will help make sure autistic people have better access to services and opportunities throughout their lives.

To develop the Strategy, we want to hear from Autistic people about their experiences and ideas.

Visit dss.gov.au/national-autism-strategy for more information about the Strategy, to access background reading such as the discussion papers, and for other ways to get involved.

Purpose of this event

The purpose of this forum is to provide an opportunity for Autistic people to discuss issues in a safe space with other Autistic people as they contribute to the development of the National Autism Strategy.

These small groups of no more than 20 people will include different ways for people to engage in the discussion, and they will be co-facilitated with an Autistic facilitator local to that region.

Detailed information about what to expect and the questions we will ask will be provided to participants before the event.

Who can attend the event?

This event is only open to Autistic people.

Numbers are limited to no more than 20 people. If you miss out on a place at this event, you can also attend the open community forum in this location or there are online events and other ways to have your say at dss.gov.au/national-autism-strategy.

A waiting list has been enabled and we will contact you if more places open up.

If you are First Nations, we are also holding yarns from 2.30-5.00pm at the same venue and you are welcome to attend anytime during that session to speak with a First Nations facilitator.

How will the forum run?

The forum will run for 1.5 hours.

You will sit at tables with other participants but you can choose to contribute your ideas in different ways.

The event agenda will include the following parts:

Introduction: 5 mins
About the National Autism Strategy: 5 mins
Your experience: 25 mins
Attitudes and understanding of Autism: 20 mins
BREAK - There will be a short break: 5 mins
Reflection: Vision for a National Autism Strategy: 10 mins
Supporting rights and diversity: 15 mins
Next steps: 5 mins

Before the event, we will email you information about what to expect at each section and the questions we will ask.

Notice for all attendees

In order to make sure the event is accessible and safe for all, we request that you:

turn off sounds on phones and other devices before you enter the event
do not wear strong fragrances e.g. perfumes, cologne
do not bring food into the room that has a strong smell.

Accessibility

If you have accessibility requirements, please tell us about them when you register.

The venue will include a low sensory space. Auslan* and live captioning can be made available on request.

*Because availability of Auslan interpreters is limited, requests for Auslan need to be made at least 5 days before the event. In some cases, the Auslan interpreters may attend the event remotely via a TV screen or other device – if this is not suitable for you, please contact us at engage@thesocialdeck.com.

Help and contact

The Social Deck is delivering this event on behalf of the Department of Social Services. For help registering, please contact The Social Deck at engage@thesocialdeck.com or on 0458 228 142.

More information

Visit dss.gov.au/national-autism-strategy for more information, including other ways to have your say and for more resources. There are discussion papers available to help you think about the issues we will discuss. This includes a summary paper and Easy Read version.

Privacy

During the registration process, The Social Deck and/or the Department of Social Services may collect your name, contact information and other personal details.

Your personal information will only be shared with The Social Deck and the Department of Social Services. It will not be shared with any other parties.

The department’s Privacy Policy, including information about how to make a complaint and access to and correction of your personal information, can be found on the DSS website. The Social Deck’s privacy policy is also available on the Social Deck's website.