Empower Autism

Welcome to Empower Autism! Empower Autism (Empower) is a well-established, not-for-profit organisation that provides information, support and capacity development services to autistic people, together with their parents, carers and families. We are strong advocates of the benefits of peer led support and we value the active participation of those with lived experience of autism. We’ve grown from a volunteer-based organisation, established in 1994 by parents of children diagnosed with Autism. Today we have a team of 15 dedicated staff and approximately 40 volunteers who generously donate their time, experience and passion in assisting to run our programs and services. We believe that society thrives when diverse individuals, experiences, perspectives, and cultures are welcomed and celebrated. We envision a world where autistic people fully participate, contribute and succeed to their fullest potential with confidence and self-belief. We are committed to act with purpose and intention to: • Champion diversity by building a community of board directors, staff and volunteers who are as diverse as the community we serve. • Encourage open, transparent dialogue among diverse voices and perspectives to shape our services, programs, and workplace culture. • Commit to inclusiveness of lived experience in all program design and development. • Empower and support autistic people to improve their employment outcomes and social connectedness. • Collaborate with employers to create a mutually supportive workplace. We will strive to continually celebrate and cultivate a diverse community, while working to enable positive social change with autistic people through programs based on inclusiveness, self-development, and self-advocacy.