We speak with a lot of organisations and share that our charity of choice is Autism Swim, a social enterprise of experts specialising in wandering and drowning prevention for those with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and other abilities. Their team led by Erika Gleeson work tirelessly to save lives and make the world an inclusive place, and as such, we make a contribution for every candidate placement to that organisation.

The feedback we get is awesome, and everyone says they're all for inclusion. But often is the case in our busy worlds, we forget to actually take action to make a difference?

This is your opportunity to champion a really fun, cheap and easy way to take active steps toward being more inclusive in your workplace, to learn communication skills that make your own world more inclusive, and to support a small Australian charity whose mission is to save lives. Autism Swim isn't just about autism or aquatics. At its core, they are about inclusion. And inclusion should be a priority for us all - at work, at home, and everywhere in between.

SIGN 4 INCLUSION with AUTISM SWIM in AUGUST

That's why this August, we are asking you to rally your workplace to register for, 'Sign 4 Inclusion'. 

This means, you'll be showing up in your workplace as a Champion for inclusiveness and sharing valuable communication skills by learning and teaching your team 10 new Key Word Signs.

What are Key Word Signs and what's the relevancy?

Well, we're so glad you asked. Key Word Sign (KWS) is used to encourage and support language development in children and adults with communication difficulties. We can all communicate in so many different ways (not just verbally), so it's helpful to learn different ways of communicating to cater to people's varying needs. If you'd like to learn more about key word sign, you can do so here.

What's Involved?

• Firstly, you become awesome, as a champion for inclusiveness in your workplace;
• You and your team (or the organisation) pay a registration fee of $49 per person (which comes to AS as a tax-deductible donation).
• For the week commencing 8th August (2022), every morning at 8:30am, participants will receive an email from us, containing a video link.
• The video link will teach you two new Key Word Signs for that day.
• YOUR job, is to practice those signs in the workplace (face to face or online ro remote workers). Every time you can incorporate that sign into your daily communication, you receive a tally. At the end of the week, the participant with the most tallies internally, will win a prize.
• Sharing your new skills on social media, and tagging your workplace and Autism Swim, in an effort to encourage more people to make a step toward being more inclusive.

What do you and your team get out of it?

• You all become awesome, as champions for inclusiveness;
• You and your team learning 10 new Key Word Signs
• Your workplace making a commitment to inclusion
• Your workplace receiving supporting marketing collateral to advertise their commitment to inclusion
• Supporting a small Australian charity whose mission is to save lives! 

Is this just for workplaces?

There are no restrictions on who can get involved. We would love to see your family jump on board, and share the message to your friends and community.

Thank you for taking action, being a champion for inclusiveness and supporting Autism Swim!

JUMP ON BOARD BY CLICKING THIS LINK

Donate to create safe futures for people on the autism spectrum and with other abilities in and around the water. Donate to save lives.

Remember that all donations to Autism Swim over $2 are tax deductible. Please share this opportunity wide and far, so we can onboard as many organisations as possible.

If you would like to discuss an ongoing partnership/sponsorship/donation arrangement, please reach out to Autism Swim's Founder, Erika Gleeson.