Contact
Sign Up
Login
Donate

The world can be overwhelming when it wasn’t designed for you.  

For someone with sensory processing differences, the world can be:

LOUD

  • Street noise
  • Sudden sounds 
  • Heat pumps 
  • Voices 
  • Computers whirring  

BRIGHT 

  • Fluorescent lights 
  • Flashing lights 
  • Neon signs

OVERSTIMULATING 

  • Strong smells  
  • Crowds 
  • Uncomfortable clothing  
  • Temperature changes  

Everyone experiences sensory sensitivity at times. But for many autistic people, sensory overwhelm can be a daily experience. It can make everyday activities like attending school, going to the supermarket, working in an office or going to a movie feel impossible.  

Introducing: Hoods Up, Volume Down 

Join a nationwide movement for acceptance, understanding and accessibility.  

We are asking businesses, workplaces, schools and organisations to participate in a national ‘quiet hour’ on Wednesday April 10th, at 10am. Turn down the lights, turn down the noise and turn up for the autistic community of Aotearoa.   

How can you participate: 

1. Buy a hoodie 

Purchase our limited edition #hoodsup2024 Hoodie or T-shirt. Many autistic people use hoodies as a way to block out overwhelming sensory input, and our hoodies are super soft and comfy, helpful for those who are sensitive to touch and texture. $10 from every hoodie sold goes straight to Autism New Zealand, to help us continue our work to support the autistic and wider autism communities of Aotearoa.  

2. Organise a quiet hour at your school, workplace or organisation 

On Wednesday April 10th, at 10am, we are holding a nationwide quiet hour. This is an opportunity to make your environment more accessible to autistic people, and while it might seems like only a moment, it’s the start of a movement.  

During this hour, we will show the autistic community that as a society we are ready to truly accept autism and embrace the accommodations needed to create an accessible society.  

Check out our guide to creating a sensory friendly environment and other resources to help you with your event here. 

3. Donate to Autism New Zealand  

Your donation will go directly to helping us continue the services we provide to the autistic and wider autism communities, including: 

  • Outreach support nationwide 
  • Education programmes  
  • Early support for autistic tamariki  
  • Employment support  
  • Autism diagnosis  

Autism New Zealand is a registered charity, with a commitment to empowering the autistic community to make informed choices and take action: every step together. 

Resources  

Find all the resources you may need for Hoods Up, Volume Down 2024 right here.

If you have any questions or need further information, please email communications@autismnz.org.nz  

If you’re planning an event for Hoods Up, Volume Down, please let us know by completing the following information: 

How to Donate

If you raise funds for Autism New Zealand during your event, you can donate in the following ways: 

Using our QR code:

On our website: https://donorbox.org/autism-nz-donations 

For any questions regarding your donation, please email accounts@autismnz.org.nz  

If you have images of your event that you are happy for us to share (on social media, in newsletters or in other documents) please email them to communications@autismnz.org.nz, or send them to us via Facebook.  

Please email communications@autismnz.org.nz  if you have any further questions.

Media Enquiries

Please contact Kirsti (Communications Manager) at communications@autismnz.org.nz or phone 021 026 56284 

Register for Autism Connect

Autism Connect

Autism Connect Service.

Autism Connect App

The Autism Connect app is a video chat tool for connecting our community together. Created for autistic people and those who make up their support network – so that they can connect, share learnings and journey together.

For the safety of our Autism NZ users and online community, we require every user to be verified using photo identification. Our team may contact you via email and/or phone as part of the verification process, prior to issuing you a username and password to use the Autism Dashboard and requested services.

Maximum file size: 2MB

JPEG, JPG, PDF, PNG file types allowed. Max 2MB file size.

Privacy Policy

This privacy policy explains which information Autism NZ collects on www.autismnz.org.nz, what we do with it and your rights to correct or change it.

Personal information
We only collect personal information if you choose to give it to us. If you submit a registration form or make a financial donation you provide us with personal contact information so we can connect with you to make further arrangements. All information provided will be held in accordance with the Privacy Act 2020.

We do use common internet technologies such as cookies on our website, and collect non-personal information to track traffic on our sites to improve our services. This data does not include personal information and is not linked to any personal information you may provide through our website.

Use and disclosure
The personal information you provide to us will only be used for the purposes for which you supplied it, or, in exceptional situations, for other reasons permitted under the Privacy Act 2020.

No personal contact information will be supplied to any third party.

This privacy policy only relates to our site. Please be aware that we are not responsible for the practices of sites of other organisations and businesses we may link to on our site. Please check the privacy policies on external sites before providing personal information to them or any other third party.

Your right to access information
The New Zealand Privacy Act of 2020 gives you the right to access and correct, update or delete any personal information that we hold about you. Contact us with your request.

Hit 'register' below and one of our team will verify your details and be in contact once your service request is approved.