Team members show their support for autism

Recently, team members across our sites participated in the #HoodieUp campaign by dressing in their favourite hoodie and colourful socks to show their support for World Autism Acceptance month. The campaign is an initiative by the Amaze Foundation, whose goal is to advocate for autism awareness across Australia. This is the fourth year ExxonMobil Australia's (EMA) A Better Life for Everyone (ABLE) committee has partnered with the Amaze Foundation, one of many organisations ABLE works with to raise awareness and support disabilities and differences in the workplace.

“This cause is really close to my heart as my son was recently diagnosed with autism. I have always thought I knew a lot about autism, but since his diagnosis I have realised that is not the case and Amaze has been so helpful in helping me understand more about the disorder. I am now able to apply useful strategies to interact and communicate with him better,” commented Renee Ellul, Chair of the ABLE committee.

The importance of supporting such causes was discussed across sites including the relevance of wearing your hoodie up. Team members were educated on how autistic people may experience difficulty with sensory activities and can become overloaded by stimuli in their environment. Wearing their hoodie up allows them to block out the bright lights and busy environments which can help them feel more calm and less overwhelmed.

At our Perth office, team members participated in a quiz to test their knowledge on autism and decipher facts and myths associated with the disorder.

“The quiz was a reminder that, while I may have personal connections to autism, there is always more to learn and ways to contribute,” commented Corey Baker, Joint Interest Coordinator.

Team members were also made aware of the Sunflower Program, a program for hidden disability awareness and one that EMA partakes in. The program involves you wearing a special lanyard or pin which can signal to others that you have a hidden disability and might need some extra help or time to complete activities or that you’re a supporter of people with disability.

If you’d like to make an online donation to support the Amaze Foundation, please click here.