Well Said!

EQUITY BEGINS IN THE BATHROOM by Helen Said, Autism and disability rights advocate If we’re serious about equity, we have to provide truly accessible toilet facilities in all public places. Most public places fail to provide for both men and women who depend on incontinence pads or pants, trans men who menstruate, gender non-conforming people who don’t fit the binary labelling of public toilets, people who use self-catheterisation or colostomy products, diabetics, wheelchair users and disabled adults and their carers who need to access change facilities. Men who undergo prostate surgery The above poster, produced by the Continence Foundation of Australia, calls for “Bins 4 Blokes” and asks people to scan a QR code to pledge their support “for shopping centres to put in a bin for blokes”. It spells out the facts: “1.34 million Australian boys and men experience incontinence. If they use incontinence products there are very few places for them to throw them away which may prevent the...

Significant Cost Threshold -  discriminating against Autistic migrants By Helen Said Some of the organisations supporting fairer treatment of disabled immigrants Neurodivergent Labor, an organisation which I co-founded in 2017, proudly supports the Welcoming Disability campaign. Welcoming Disability is a joint initiative of Australian Lawyers for Human Rights and Down Syndrome Australia. Welcoming Disability campaigns to reform the Migration Health Requirement and the Significant Cost Threshold, legislation which discriminates against migrants with disability. If non-permanent residents give birth, in Australia, to a child with a disability, the whole family can be deported under this draconian, outdated legislation, even if they pledge to pay for all of their children’s disability care and have the means to do so. They can even be refused entry to Australia because of the presumed cost of the disability to Australian taxpayers, even when they have no entitlements to use Medi...

  Should Autistics be counted in Australia’s National Census? A year ago, during the Australian Bureau of Statistics Census Review, I applied to have a question about Autism and neurodivergence added to the upcoming 2026 National Census. I was disappointed that my submission was unsuccessful, as very little is known about the lives of older Autistics and women, migrants and poorer people on the Autism Spectrum, and this has been highlighted in the Draft National Autism Strategy. I am a member of CALD Autism research advisory groups and so I know firsthand how useful census information could be. Support from Autistic Elders I forgot about last year’s census review until I accepted an online speaking engagement with Reframing Autism’s Panel of Autistic Elders, which took place at RA’s Community Summit last Friday. When asked how I, as an older Autistic, advocate for others, I suddenly remembered my submission! As soon as I mentioned counting Autistics in the census, the zoom ...

By Helen Said, Autistic advocate Neurodivergent Labor, an organisation which I co-founded in 2017, inputs into Labor Party policy and aims to mentor neurodivergent party members who aspire to one day become election candidates. It's not a matter of whether Autistics will be represented in parliament by one of our own, it's a matter of when . There is already a precedent for Autistic parliamentary representation, with 3 Autistic law makers recently elected to office in the United States, and one self diagnosed Autistic who served as Australia's Deputy Prime Minister from 1996-1999. Autistic election candidates, like any other election candidates, will definitely be aware of how they come across to others as they will represent the party and a government, they will seek to be pre-selected and re-elected and they will need to show they can do the job. Being able to do the job means winning people’s minds and hearts and winning votes. Far from being an act of masking, learni...

by Helen Said, Autistic advocate When I was about 8 or 9 years old, I began teaching myself to make eye contact while speaking to people. Before that, when someone spoke to me, especially if it was someone outside the family, I used to turn away and not look at them. Today, avoiding eye contact would be recognised as a likely sign of Autism, but nothing was known about neurodivergence in the 1960s, when I was in primary school.  Nobody forced me to start looking people in the eye. In fact I don't recall anyone having commented about the fact that I didn't make eye contact. Contrary to what some Autistic friends say,  I wasn't "masking" or on the defensive about my different manner.  I just knew I was very shy and I didn't like feeling that way. I noticed that other people seemed to find conversation and making friends easier than I did and I wanted to be able to talk to people more easily. I noticed that other people made eye contact when they spoke to each ot...

By Helen Said, Autistic advocate   Seven hundred families in Western Australia are going to take part in a trial of the Inklings pre-emptive intervention program. The babies concerned are between 6 and 18 months old and have a high likelihood of being Autistic. The 10-session Inklings Program uses short videos of a caregiver interacting with their baby to help them to better understand the different ways that their baby communicates their thoughts, feelings and needs. With the guidance of a trained practitioner, caregivers will learn strategies to build on their own strengths as a responsive communication partner for their baby.   I support the Inklings pre-emptive Intervention program for Autistic babies. I am an Autistic advocate and co-founder of Neurodivergent Labor (formerly Spectrum Labor). I have campaigned to end disability discrimination in the migration process and to count Autistics in the National Census. I hold a Bachelor of Science Degree, I am an al...