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World Autism Awareness Day – Sunday April 2, 2023
#WAUD2023
What is World Autism Awareness Day?
World Autism Awareness Day on Sunday 2 April celebrates the resilience of those affected by the disorder and supports causes that promote awareness. World Autism Awareness Day also known as World Autism Understanding Day is recognised by the United Nations and marked around the world.
In recent years, major progress has been made in increasing awareness and acceptance of autism, thanks to the many amazing autistic advocates who bring their lived experience of autistic people to the wider world.
This year marks the 16th annual World Autism Awareness Day.
Light it up blue
On April 2, in honour of World Autism Day, supporters around the globe light up their home or businesses blue!
This year’s World Autism Awareness Day theme in Australia
The World Autism Awareness Day 2023 theme is colour.
You can celebrate this special day by encouraging your children to express themselves through colour.
The 2023 World Autism Awareness Day Observance
This year, WAAD will be observed with a virtual event on Sunday, 2 April, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. EST.
The event is organised in close collaboration with autistic people and will feature autistic people from around the world discussing how the transformation in the narrative around neurodiversity can continue to be furthered in order to overcome barriers and improve the lives of autistic people. It will also address the contributions that autistic people make – and can make – to society, and to the achievement of the sustainable development goals.
The event will be streamed on the UN’s YouTube and Twitter channels, and on UN WebTV.
World Autism Awareness Month
Every April we celebrate World Autism Month, beginning with the United Nations-sanctioned World Autism Awareness Day on April 2.
This year’s World Autism Awareness Month theme
This year, we are committed to standing together to make a world of difference for people on the spectrum.
About autism
Autism is a neurodevelopmental disability that affects the way people communicate and interact with the world. Characteristics generally appear in early childhood and will be present, in some form, for life.
At CVGT we stand for a world of difference
At CVGT Employment we aim to deliver services that build economic and social inclusion in the communities we operate.
CVGT is committed to building communities that are diverse, inclusive and strong. Our commitment starts with us!
Empowerment and inclusion are integral to our culture and how we live our values. We ensure our employment solutions are inclusive and respond to the diverse needs of our participants.
At CVGT Employment, we work closely with businesses and industry to build inclusive practices, improve equality, and ensure every person has access to employment.
We have a shared vision for developing pathways to employment for people of all ages and abilities, ensuring people with disability feel included while celebrating difference.
Our partners
Working together make the world of difference.
About our partnership with Holmesglen
We are working with the Certificate II in Work Education students at Holmesglen’s Chadstone campus to find and maintain suitable employment. All students must complete a work placement to meet their course requirements but these are usually unpaid and short-term. With CVGT Employment’s assistance, the students not only get paid, but continue to have work after completing the course. The success of the program to date has led to exciting expansion discussions and plans for a more formalised partnership.
About our partnership with Onemda
We continue our close working relationship with Onemda by formalising our collaboration on their SILOS project. It introduces young people with intellectual disabilities to work and employment while in their last 3 years of school. The program, funded by an NDIS ILC grant, will deliver activities in the Melbourne North, Melbourne East, Melbourne West, Bendigo and Ballarat regions. The “model of interagency collaboration” will be formally evaluated by Australian Catholic University.
Success stories
A look at some of our success stories that highlight the successes of our amazing autistic participants.
Cameron is weaving new opportunity in his job
For Cameron, having a job that is thoroughly enjoyable makes the 35-minute drive to work go quickly. In the past 18 months, he has been making the roundtrip from his home to Bangholme in south-east Melbourne to work with PSW. Cameron, who is Autistic, is a warehouse associate and works eight hours a week. A…
Diversity tastes good
After a negative workplace experience left Benjamin with a bad taste, he’s found himself welcomed at Albury-Wodonga’s African Groceries. CVGT Australia brokered the retail position with the local store, which imports items to cater to the region’s diverse migrant communities. Business owner Clement had previously taken on someone by accessing our Disability Employment Service (DES)….
Milan finds his spark at Wiltronics Ballarat
When Milan approached CVGT Australia, he was feeling disappointed and frustrated that employment seemed to fade when an employer reached the end of the wage subsidy period. Milan, who has autism spectrum disorder and Erb’s palsy, felt like he was being passed from pillar to post. The team from CVGT Ballarat wanted to change that…
Our Programs
At CVGT Employment, we believe every person deserves the opportunity to fulfil their potential. Our programs support people with a disability to find meaningful work. Find out more about our programs below.
Disability Employment Services
Disability Employment Services (DES) is an Australian Government Initiative that helps people with a disability, injury or health condition (including anxiety and depression) find and keep a job.
Our goal is to find employment solutions that work for our participants, their needs, skills, experience, and interests.
Corporate responsibility
We listen to our people and the experiences of those we support. We also partner with community organisations, businesses and academics to deliver positive economic and social benefits to the regions where we operate. We do this through investing in partnerships, projects and local sponsorships.