Tom Sheppard and Damon Healy met through the program which offers people with autism and ADHD a career pathway.(Supplied: Services Australia)
After Tom Sheppard was diagnosed with autism, a program designed for Australians on the spectrum helped him land a job that plays to his strengths.
The 30-year-old was feeling burnt out being socially on all day while treating patients as a physiotherapist.
That was actually the breaking point for me and the part that led to burnout, he said.
After a bit of soul searching, his autism diagnosis proved to be an enlightening moment.
It helped really pinpoint why I had certain struggles in that job, Mr Sheppard said.
Tom Sheppard says he felt burnt out and socially drained while working as a physiotherapist.(Supplied: Services Australia)
He now works as a test analyst with Services Australia after taking part in its 18-month Aurora Neuroinclusion Program, which offers people with autism and ADHD a pathway into the government agency.
The job I have now is much more aligned with my strengths, he said.
It meshes well with my brain.
More than 290,000 Australians have an autism diagnosis, and they are six times more likely to be unemployed than people without a disability, according to the recent national autism strategy report.
Through the program, Mr Sheppard has connected and built friendships with peers who have had similar experiences.
Jordan Hewitt, Lachlan Gallagher, Damon Healy and Tom Sheppard met through the program.
I didn't even know what … the criteria was for [autism], so this is like a different world for me coming into this program, he said
It's good to have other people around you that have gone through something similar.
Thankful for a 'fair go' after rejection
Mr Sheppard has befriended Damon Healy and the pair, along with other former participants, often catch up and play video games together after work.
Mr Healy said he is naturally more introverted and quieter, but has enjoyed meeting people who have the same level of understanding as him.
The workmates that I have are my good friends, he said.
Damon Healy says before the program, he experienced rejection after rejection.
Before taking part in the course, the university graduate had received rejection after rejection when applying for jobs.
I may be on the spectrum or whatever, but just give me 'a fair go', as the old Australian saying [goes], Mr Healy said.
The 27-year-old also works as a test analyst within Service Australia after jumping at the chance to apply for the program.
I'm happy that I've got this because it's a tough industry to get into, he said.
It's a job that I sort of envisioned that I wanted to do.
Setting up for success
Kate Keenan, who manages the program, said it was rewarding to see participants grow both professionally and personally while making lifelong friends.
It doesn't get much better than that, she said.
Kate Keenan says it is rewarding to see both the professional and personal growth of participants.(Supplied)
Aurora Neuroinclusion has run for five years and offers various employment opportunities across Adelaide, Canberra, Hobart, Brisbane and Melbourne.
They're not roles that are made up for the program. They're actual roles in the organisation that need people to fill it, she said.
Ms Keenan said the aim of the program was to recruit and guide people with autism and ADHD throughout their entire employment experience.
Basically, the goal is setting up for future success, she said.
In partnership with Employ for Ability, Ms Keenan said during the program participants and their managers are trained and supported to have neuro-inclusive workplaces.
Aurora has provided employment opportunities for 137 neurodivergent job seekers since the program commenced, and 51 people were engaged through Aurora in 2024.
The federal government has committed to continuing the program as part of its response to the national autism strategy.
Ms Keenan said the program had led to the agency's workplaces becoming more neuro-inclusive.
Mindsets have changed, she said. You just see such a change in the day-to-day communications.
More people with disability unemployed, report finds
Of more than 400 people with disability surveyed as part of the Voices of Queenslanders with Disability 2024 report, nearly 62 per cent said they believed that businesses do not hire people with disability.
In the latest report, around 52 per cent of participants with a disability said they weren't employed — an increase of about 11 per cent from the previous year.
Griffith University Research Fellow Kelsey Chapman, a co-author of the report, said a gap remained between people being employed and feeling like they had a good job.
Almost 44 per cent of respondents with a disability said they had a good job.
Kelsey Chapman says there is a gap between people being employed and feeling like they have a good job.(ABC News: Mark Leonardi)
That attitudinal barrier is really pervasive in terms of both feeling like you can get a good job and feeling like you have a good job, she said.
Dr Chapman said participants in the study generally felt that disability awareness and inclusion across the state had improved.
The only way we're going to really shift attitudes and improve products and services are by having those diverse perspectives and skillsets that people with disability bring into the workplace, she said.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-02-15/inclusion-employees-with-autism-adhd-pathway-program/104928720
