Some of Our Parts

Supporting Young People with Autism

As Victoria endures another lockdown period, the I CAN Network appreciates that the uncertainty caused by COVID-19 continues to impact many people in their network, especially young people with autism.

With that in mind, I CAN would like to share some insights and Autistic-led resources to support people in their network – not just in times of lockdown, but for overall well being, including:

• Tips for enabling Autistic students online
• Tips and links for managing overwhelm
• Tips for leveraging Autistic passions (timely for upcoming school holidays)
• Cycle 4 of Online Mentoring – including many new interest-based groups

Managing Overwhelm

It can be helpful for young people with Autism to hear from Autistic voices of all ages to reassure them that they aren’t the only one feeling overwhelmed or anxious.

• I CAN Ambassador Dr Wenn Lawson has put together this reassuring video for Autistic young people called Autism & When You Are Feeling A Bit Anxious.

This tip sheet attached on Managing Overwhelm was created by Autistic young adult members of the I CAN team. It offers tips to younger peers, as well as advice aimed at adults (parents/carers/teaching staff) who support Autistic young people.

The Joy of Autistic Passions

Autistic passions can provide great comfort, particularly amid very uncertain times.

They can also be a source of immense joy and connection, including when the people around us show an interest in the things we love.

For any of our young people or adults who are feeling on edge right now, we encourage you to embrace the things that fuel your passion.

Again, Autistic young adults from our team offer some tips  to help their younger peers and the adults who support them. This tip sheet on Staying Connected With Passions & People might also come in handy for the upcoming school holidays.

I CAN Online Interest Groups

I CAN’s Autistic-led online group mentoring program continues to offer a steady, safe, fun space where Autistic young people can connect each week with peers and mentors.

For so many of mentees, that regular weekly spot provides an anchor of security.

I CAN are especially excited to be expanding the number and range of interest-based groups we offer, as well as expanding their ages served to include 9-22 year olds.

Their next cycle, which begins the week of 26th July, includes interest based groups for:

• AFL (new)
• Anime
• Dinosaurs (new)
• Drawing & Art (new)
• Dungeons & Dragons (new)
• Marvel (new)
• Minecraft
• Pokemon (new)
• Screens, Tunes & Characters (expanded to accommodate up to age 22)

These will be offered along with I CAN’s standing groups for age-based cohorts (9-13 and 13-15) and their groups for, Autistic/LGBTIQA+ teens.

I CAN also offer our I CAN Imagination Club® for 9-12 year olds, which is a non Autism-specific group.

To learn more and/or to submit an Expression of Interest, please click here or on the button below: https://icannetwork.online/online/

Research Project to Determine Best Practice Career Support for Students with Disability

The National Careers Institute has funded a project to investigate best practice career support for students with disability with the aim of establishing the first dedicated national Career Development Learning Hub for students with disability.

This study has been approved by the Human Research Ethics Committee at Curtin University and is commencing data collection.   

They are seeking to recruit participants from three categories:

1. Students of university, TAFE or VET who identify as having disability
2. Parents/ carers of primary, secondary or tertiary students with disability
3. Stakeholders in careers or disability services: practitioners, career advisers, school leaders, equity practitioners, career services providers, member of industry bodies who have an interest in disability support

Survey Link for Students

We are seeking students with disability to contribute to research on careers support. Interested? Take our short survey: https://bit.ly/2RMJR5Q. Curtin University Human Research Ethics Committee approved this study (HRE2021-0219)

Survey Link for Parents/Carers

We are seeking parents/carers of students with disability to contribute to research on careers support. Interested? Take our short survey: https://bit.ly/3fgVWcA. Curtin University Human Research Ethics Committee approved this study (HRE2021-0219)

Survey Link for Stakeholders

We are seeking stakeholders in disability/careers support to contribute to research. Interested? Take our short survey: https://bit.ly/2TeXtYa. Curtin University Human Research Ethics Committee approved this study (HRE2021-0219)

• If you would like to receive updates on the project, please visit the project webpage and register your email with olivia.groves@curtin.edu.au to receive the quarterly project newsletter.

Help Celebrate the Tenth Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD)!

The purpose of GAAD is to get everyone talking, thinking and learning about digital access and inclusion, and the more than One Billion people with disabilities/impairments.

What is Digital Accessibility?

Every user deserves a first-rate digital experience on the web.

Someone with a disability must be able to experience web-based services, content and other digital products with the same successful outcome as those without disabilities.

This awareness and commitment to inclusion is the goal of Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD), a global event that shines a light on digital access and inclusion for people with disabilities.

PACE Mentoring Spring 2021 Applications Are Now Open!

PACE Mentoring is an industry mentoring program that matches jobseekers and students with disability with experienced professionals from leading Australian businesses.

The program is a great opportunity for you to:

• Build confidence
• Develop employability skills
• Learn some top tips to get a head start on your career
• Experience professional and personal development

How PACE Mentoring helped Melissa

“After I finished PACE, I submitted my resume to Indooroopilly State High School, where I was successful in obtaining an interview. Initially I was nervous, but I just relaxed and thought of the tips my mentor gave me. A week later I got a call from the principal saying that I had the job as a mathematics and science teacher.”

– Melissa from the 2018 PACE Mentoring cohort reflecting on how PACE helped her break into the teaching industry.

Read more great stories from PACE Mentoring HERE

Want to learn more about the program?

Come along to AND’s free PACE Information sessions where they discuss what the PACE program is and how it can help your professional and personal development.

The sessions will be held through Microsoft TEAMS. This session is open to jobseekers, students and industry providers so feel free to share the details!

• Thursday 3rd June 2pm – 3pm (Sydney/Canberra/Melbourne time)
• Wednesday 16th June 11am – 12pm (Sydney/Canberra/Melbourne time)

You can access the Information sessions here!

Who is eligible?

• Anyone 18 years or over with any type of disability, mental health condition or chronic illness is eligible for the PACE Mentoring Program.

Mentoring opportunities are in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra, Perth & Adelaide. There are also some virtual mentoring opportunities for students and jobseekers based in other locations across Australia.

Find Out More About PACE Mentoring

Perform At Your Peak in Final Assessments in 2021

The Monash University Student Academic Success (SAS) team has developed a program of workshops and resources to support undergraduate and postgraduate students in their end-of-semester assessments.

Final assessments are just around the corner, and the team at Student Academic Success have you covered!

Their program includes:

• Workshops on time management, exam preparation and getting the most out of your revision period. Starts 11 May. Book your spot now!
• Quick feedback on your academic English in your draft assignments. Upload your draft to get fast-turnaround feedback.
• Videos of top tips and ideas from students, academics and learning experts about managing the final assessment period.
• Useful resources to help you plan and study smarter, not harder.

If you would like one-on-one support, book in a consultation with a learning adviser.

Call Out for Disabled Young Content Creators!

Immediate Part-Time Opening – Greater Melbourne

Key Details: Program Manager

• Supporting the Regional Manager.
• Coordinating I CAN Ltd’s face-to-face services (school-based mentoring programs and speaking engagements) within Greater Melbourne.
• Supervising and coaching I CAN Ltd staff.
• Managing stakeholder relationships, particularly with schools and parents
• Hours can be negotiated around commitments but must be performed during standard business hours.
• Maximum Part-Time Role (22.8 hrs per week) until December 2021.
• $72K – 84K package paid pro rata to 0.6 FTE (includes superannuation and salary packaging benefits
• Applicants must have the ability to work from home and be able to apply and provide a clear Working With Children Check. Access to a car will also be necessary in order to conduct school visits across Melbourne.

About You

• Genuine passion for nurturing the individual strengths of Autistic mentors and mentees
• Demonstrated customer service skills.
• Strong administrative and IT skills.
• Capacity to schedule I CAN Ltd’s services across complex requirements including casual staff availability and school timetabling preferences.
• Adaptable communication skills across a variety of audiences and the sensitivity to handle all situations with care and professionalism.
• Stakeholder relationship management and staff supervision experience.

Full details about this position and other openings within the I CAN team can be found here:

About the I CAN Workplace

A key distinguishing feature of I CAN, and a source of enormous strength, is their commitment to ensuring that at least 50% of our team is Autistic. I CAN feels very strongly about providing a workplace which celebrates and nurtures Autistic talent and also attracts non-Autistic team members who relish the opportunity to work for an Autistic-led organisation.

The I CAN recruitment process is strengths-based, and they aim to support team members in roles that capitalise on individual strengths, respect personal schedules and capacity, and provide meaningful training and growth opportunities over time. All of I CAN positions are paid roles.

You can learn more about I CAN Network here.

WithYouWithMe Project Possible Neurodiversity Programme

WithYouWithMe is a 200 FTE Australian tech company founded by 70% combat veterans.

They are currently hiring over 100 additional roles, and as many of them are already disabled they are passionate about helping disadvantaged groups gain work.

WithYouWithMe doesn’t use CV’s when they recruit, instead they apply a 90 minute military grade cognitive aptitude test to highlight individual strengths and use that data to make hiring decisions, which was developed with professors from the University of Sydney.

WithYouWithMe has already helped over 1,250 veterans transition from the military into high paying meaningful tech jobs with no previous IT skills or experience, and now with Project Possible they are investing $5 million AUD as a social impact program we are running to deliver free training to 1,000 neurodiverse Australians.

There is also the possibility of direct employment with WithYouWithMe or their partner companies, such as Accenture, Microsoft, Splunk, and the government itself through our partnership with the “Senate Select committee on Autism” (the APS has 152k workers 4% of which are disabled, a new quota of 7% disabled workers has been announced which means roughly 5k new jobs in the APS, and WithYouWithMe will be working closely with the APS commissioner and the government advocating for their candidates to be selected for employment opportunities).

A Social Impact Business

WithYouWithMe is a social impact business, and one of their core goals is to solve underemployment.

They want to begin with this neurodiversity programme as there is a significant wave of support already, and would like your help to spread the word and encourage neurodiverse participants to sign up.

They are a national business and can support flexible work including working from home if required.

Below is the signup link:

https://accounts.withyouwithme.com/signup/neurodiverseCandidate

We Are Interested in the Views of Individuals Over 18 Years of Age Who Have Epilepsy

Seeking Participants with Epilepsy

This study aims to understand your interests, expectations, and decision-making around a brain-machine interface that may be a potential treatment for epilepsy.

• You will receive a $30 gift card to compensate for your time

Your participation will involve:

• A 90 minute focus group (much like a conversation)
• and a short demographic questionnaire.

Participation in the focus group will be via teleconference call. Any travel expenses will be covered

For more information please contact:

• Adrian Carter
• School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University
• Email: adrian.carter@monash.edu / 9902 9431

Human Ethics Approval: 19968