Case Study:
Impact Church :
We decided to get involved with the Autism-friendly charter here because we wanted advice from professionals.
We wanted to be a church and a community service that was inclusive for everybody, and we knew that Autism SA offered the Autism-friendly charter, and we just thought that would be the best place to start.
Churches are a place now, they’re very different, they’re not quite so traditional. Quite often, there’s a band playing, there’s loud music and bright lights.
We had about four of us who did training with Autism SA. It’s quite empowering when you do the training because you have a bit more of an understanding of how things affect the families and the children.
I think it’s been great for us to know how to be inclusive, and it’s simple things, but it just makes such a big difference to these families.
So, our play center is an amazing space. We actually have a couple of rooms in there that are all glass, but we can close doors, and then they can join in again when they’re ready.
As a church and as a business, it has actually opened us up to people coming here who wouldn’t normally come here.
At the moment, we’ve got children who are on the spectrum, but they will get older, and I believe we have an environment now that is socially inclusive, and that as they grow older, they can be part of the church and be a valued member of our community. End
