2023 SUMMIT - “BUILDING CAPABILITY”
Over forty local and international speakers – many of whom are neurodivergent – provided their expertise and shared their experiences at this Autism @ Work Virtual Summit held on 22-23 March 2023. Link to watchbacks here.
2021 SUMMIT - “SUSTAINABLE PROGRAMS, SUSTAINABLE EMPLOYMENT”
More than 500 delegates attended Australia’s first Autism@Work Virtual Summit, hearing about the benefits of a neurodiverse workplace and exploring how to achieve Sustainable Programs, Sustainable Employment for employers and employees.
Hosted by Autism CRC and DXC Technology, the two-day event included keynote addresses from three autistic speakers, and more than 50 speakers across 16 sessions. Link to watchbacks here.
2019 SUMMIT – “TRANSITIONING TO A NEURODIVERSE WORKPLACE”
The 3rd Australian Autism at Work summit was held at the Novotel on Collins, Melbourne, on Thursday 25 July 2019. The summit drew a range of people from diverse backgrounds; social work, psychologists, researchers, employers, autistic led organizations and autistic individuals.
The focus of this Summit was “transitions”. We heard from Keynotes John Marble and Lawrence Fung on the importance of the strengths approach and how to support a deeper understanding of the neurodiverse individual. Breakout room discussions explored the growing need for mental health support in the workplace, how to hire and retain autistic staff, and the exploration of life skills materials with Neurodiversity Hub. The summit provided great opportunities to network, learn and inspire change.
KEYNOTES
Lawrence Fung
Director of Stanford Neurodiversity Project
Expertise: Neuroscience, Psychiatry & Autism
Stanford Neurodiversity Project
VIDEOS OF SOME OTHER SESSIONS
WELCOME
EMPLOYER PANEL: Transitioning the Workplace
EMPLOYEE PANEL: TRANSITIONING TO WORK
CLOSING
PRESENTATIONS
NEURODIVERSITY HUB
- AUTUMN O’CONNOR, AARON CHAN, Andrew Eddy
THE MAKING OF MYWAY EMPLOYABILITY: FROM RESEARCH TO PRACTICE
- PROF MARINA CICCARELLI & BRENDAN JAMES
TRANSITIONING THE WORKING ENVIRONMENT
- MIRANDA SPENCER
TRANSITIONING THE WORKING ENVIRONMENT
- DR WENDY ELFORD
PHOTOGRAPHS
“Innovation calls on firms to add variety to the mix—to include people and ideas from “the edges” of society. Neurodiverse groups offer a great competitive advantage.”
2018 SUBMIT – “THE NEURODIVERSITY ADVANTAGE”
The Autism at Work summit, presented by Autism CRC, DXC Technology and ANZ, was held in Melbourne, Australia in October 2018. Sponsored by Symantec, SAP and Peoplebank, the Autism at Work Summit explored the value of investing in a more neurodiverse workforce. The Summit program included keynote presentations from Paulette Penzvalto, autism advocate and Google employee from Silicon Valley; Jeanette Purkis, autism employment advocate, writer and speaker; and Matt Ormiston, Autism advocate, technologist and adventurer.
KEYNOTES
Paulette Penzvalto
Manager, Google
Expertise: Autism & Employment
Matt Ormiston
Spectrum Program Director, ANZ
Expertise: Autism, Employment, Parents with Autistic Children
The Spectrum Program
VIDEOS
PHOTOGRAPHS
RESOURCES
“The unemployment rate for people with autism spectrum disorders is more than 3 times the rate for those with a disability, and almost 6 times the rate of people without any disability.
Something needs to be done to change this!”
2017 SUMMIT – “AUTISM AT WORK”
Inspired by the successes in the United States, the first Autism at Work summit, presented by Autism CRC and DXC Technology, was held in Sydney, Australia in September 2017. The summit focused on raising awareness of autism at work. The program included keynote presentations from Professor Susanne Bruyere, Director of the Yang-Tan Institute on Employment and Disability at Cornell University, and Jeanette Purkis, autism employment advocate, writer and speaker, as well as presentations from a number of employers and industry speakers. After the Forum, an Autism at Work Employment Fair was held to discuss employment opportunities with autistic job seekers and their families. Over 70 autistic job seekers and their family and friends attended the employment fair with 11 organisations providing information on the day.
KEYNOTES
Natalie Phong
Human Resources, SAP
Expertise: Best Practices in Neurodiversity Employment
VIDEOS
PHOTOGRAPHS
