Our Vision – Empowering the autistic and autism communities.
Our Purpose – Every Step Together – providing services and support, education and information to enable autistic people and the wider autism community to make informed choices, and to advocate for a society where autistic people are valued and supported.
NEURODIVERSITY AFFIRMING –
Autism New Zealand views autism through a strengths-based neurodiversity lens. This means we understand autism is a neurological difference and that brain differences are a normal part of human variation, rather than deficient or in need of curing. We embrace a person’s neurodivergence and accept and celebrate each person’s authentic self.
SOCIETAL CHANGE –
We know that the autism spectrum is a diverse mix of traits which can come with both strengths and challenges. We encourage people throughout Aotearoa, whether they have personal connections to the autism community or not, to better understand autistic experiences and focus on making accommodations, instead of always relying on autistic people to make changes and adapt to what society expects.
That is, we understand autism through a social model in which we focus on upskilling those around the autistic person and changing both their immediate environment and society as whole to enable autistic people to live the lives they wish to live.
ACCESSIBLE, EQUITABLE, AND INCLUSIVE – Autism New Zealand strives to provide accessible, equitable, and inclusive services that embrace Te Tiriti o Waitangi principles and all cultures throughout Aotearoa. This includes empowering autistic people and the wider autism community to determine their own supports and self-advocate for their needs and preferences.
INFORMED BY LIVED EXPERIENCE AND PARTICIPATORY RESEARCH –
We believe that autistic people are the experts on autism and that parents are the experts on their children. Our role as an organisation is to provide information and resources to autistic people and those who make up their support network.
This includes information informed by participatory research and by the lived experiences of the Autistic and autism communities. In doing this, we hope to provide people with a basis for making the best decision for themselves or the individual person they are
supporting.
Together this approach underpins Autism New Zealand’s strategy