Amaze

Do you know or support others who may need access to expert autism information and advice?  Autism Connect is a free, national autism helpline, providing independent and expert information over phone, email, webchat and a searchable resource directory. Help autistic people and their supporters discover Autism Connect by ordering or downloading our free printed materials to share with your network. The order form now includes Amaze's popular "What is autism?" poster. The poster lists some of the communication and behavioural characteristics that autistic people may display. https://lnkd.in/g8a68_gf

🗣️ Last chance to have your say! ❗ Autistic community experience of ambulance services in Victoria❗ Ambulance Victoria wants to better understand and improve how ambulance services can be more autism inclusive. 🚑 This survey is part of a project that will help develop education resources for Ambulance Victoria’s workforce. This survey is for people who Identify as Autistic or are the parent and/or carer or support worker of an Autistic person and have received care from an ambulance service in Victoria between July 2023 to June 2024. Complete the survey now:  https://lnkd.in/g2yHhQDZ

The Australian Government passed the NDIS Amendment (Keeping the NDIS on track. No.1) Bill on Friday.    Together with many of you across our community, we remain disappointed about the lack of community consultation on this Bill. We will continue to advocate for more meaningful engagement with Autistic people (and their families and carers) on all next steps, particularly the development of a needs assessment tool and budget models to determine support needs and funding levels.   We are continuing to work through the new law to understand its impacts for our community. This is a difficult process given over 50 amendments have been made since the government consulted on the Bill back in May, with many amendments made in recent weeks.   In the meantime, here is a table created by the National Disability Insurance Agency that may help you start to unpack what the Bill means for you.    https://lnkd.in/ggtTjggn It identifies each change, what it means, and when it will come into effect.   It is our understanding that this new law will have little immediate impact on existing plans or what you can spend your funds on.    We will continue to advocate for further opportunity for community engagement on these matters and will let you know of any significant developments.       We appreciate that the passing of this Bill, and particularly the lack of community engagement, has been and may continue to be distressing for our community and many of you.    If you are feeling distressed and need assistance, we encourage you to reach out to the following organisations:    Autism Connect – 1300 308 699  Lifeline Australia – 13 11 14  Blue Know National Counselling and Referral Service (Disability) - 1800 421 468  Carers Gateway – 1800 422 737  Kids Helpline – 1800 55 1800  Beyond Blue – 1300 224 636  

We were disappointed to see the that the Senate passed the NDIS Bill yesterday without further community consultation. However, there is still time to share your thoughts on the draft lists of NDIS Supports. These are the lists that are being proposed by Minister Bill Shorten to identify the types of supports that can be funded under the National Disability Insurance Agency and the types of supports that cannot. Yesterday we lodged our submission to the consultation, which you can view here: https://lnkd.in/gwVXgseM In our submission we highlighted our deep concern that these prescriptive lists fail to provide the flexibility needed to ensure participants can access the individualised and cost-effective supports they may need to achieve their goals. We also reiterated our concerns about the government’s lack of meaningful consultation to ensure these reforms meet the needs of all stakeholders, including Autistic people and their families and carers. We recommended that guiding principles for NDIS Supports be included in NDIS legislation. If, despite pleas from people with disability and from across the disability sector, NDIS Supports lists are to be adopted, we recommended that the government amend the draft lists to: 1. Enable an individualized, whole of person and flexible approach to be taken to determining NDIS supports. 2. Enable participants to purchase cost-effective mainstream (rather than specialised) products and services, where they have been deemed safe and equally capable of meeting a participant’s support needs. 3. Review exclusions (currently included in the draft list of ‘Supports that are not NDIS Supports’) that can relate to a participant’s disability, including exclusions relating to disability specific childcare services, sleep consultants, eating disorders treatments and school refusal. 4. Attach a table to the lists identifying who (another funding system, employers, participants etc.) is responsible for supports that are not NDIS supports. We also recommended that the government undertake further consultation on the draft lists that is accessible and ensures all people with disability can help shape this significant area of NDIS reform.

📣 Amaze have a rare opportunity for a strategic Research & Resources Manager to join the team! 📣 Reporting to the Chief Change Officer, the Research & Resources Manager will lead and oversee the strategic development of high-quality, evidence-informed content and research that support the organisation’s mission and objectives. If this sounds like you, visit https://lnkd.in/ffMeFjY for further information. Please note: We are highly inclusive and make reasonable adjustments to ensure that the interview process and the workplace is accessible. Just contact HR at [email protected] to find out more about what we can do.

🗣️ New Community Survey - Autistic community experience of ambulance services in Victoria Ambulance Victoria wants to better understand and improve how ambulance services can be more autism inclusive. This survey is part of a project that will help develop education resources for Ambulance Victoria’s workforce. 💭 This survey is for people who Identify as Autistic, or are the parent and/or carer or support worker of an Autistic person, and have received care from an ambulance service in Victoria between July 2023 to June 2024. Complete the survey now 👉 https://lnkd.in/gXJSpJCw

Amaze is united in the calls of the disability sector for an urgent pause on the proposed changes to the NDIS legislation. It is deeply concerning that the NDIS Amendment Bill may be passed by the Senate as early as tomorrow, despite significant pleas from people with disability and from across the disability sector. We urge that the Bill be paused to ensure that these important reforms are properly informed by people with disability.

Australia’s Disability Strategy (ADS) is under review, and the input of the autism community is crucial!📝 The Government is seeking feedback on the effectiveness of the ADS and exploring new ideas for its future. The Discussion Paper (including Easy Read resources) is available via the Engage DSS consultation website:   https://lnkd.in/e-pSTBam You can share your thoughts by completing their questionnaire, or sending an email submission: https://lnkd.in/g3YhYprp 🗓 Consultations are open until Friday September 6th, 2024.

We’re pleased to announce that you now have an extra week to provide your feedback on the Australian Government draft lists of NDIS supports. These lists will determine the types of supports that can be funded under the National Disability Insurance Agency and the types of supports than cannot. The consultation is now open until August 25, 2024.   Following our letter to Minister Bill Shorten advocating for more time for public consultation and improved document accessibility, we’re also glad to see the draft lists are now available in Easy Read and AUSLAN formats.    We encourage everyone to take advantage of this extension and share your thoughts.   Provide your input here: https://lnkd.in/g-g9mhkC

🚀 Exciting News! 🚀 Amaze has a rare opportunity for a strategic Human Resources Manager to join the team! As a true generalist, the Human Resources Manager will facilitate the ongoing evolution of the HR function at Amaze, driving a human-centred approach to leadership which supports a high-performing, engaged, and diverse and inclusive workforce. If this sounds like you, visit https://lnkd.in/gvr2rDJi for further information.