Today is 2 April, World Autism Awareness Day. Young people on the autism spectrum have the same dreams as any other young person: making close friends, chasing their passions, reaching their goals, and living a life of independence.
CEO of STEPS Social Business and Executive Principal of STEPS Pathways College Stephanie Patey has written this heartfelt reflection on World Autism Awareness Day.
When people ask me what World Autism Awareness Day means, I don’t really think of it as a “day” at all.
Autism is something I’m immersed in every day in my world, my work, my leadership, my learning and my understanding of people.
I’ve learned that autism is not something to be fixed or managed. It’s a different way of experiencing, interpreting and responding to the world. A way of seeing details others miss. A way of feeling things deeply. A way of needing clarity and safety in a world that often moves too fast and expects too much conformity.
Working alongside young people with autism and neurodivergence has really shifted me. It’s made me slow down and listen more closely and it’s made me question how often we expect people to adapt, instead of asking how we could do things differently.
I’ve seen how powerful it is when someone feels safe enough to be themselves, when they don’t have to mask or explain or apologise for the way they think or respond. That’s when confidence grows and people thrive.
So for me, World Autism Awareness Day isn’t just about awareness, it’s about responsibility. About building schools, workplaces and communities that actually make room for difference not as an add-on, but by design.
That’s what I’m committed to and it’s something I’ll keep working on long after today.
If you would like to learn more about STEPS Pathways College and how we’re transforming the lives of young people with a disability and autism, visit our 10 Key Areas of Learning webpage for more information about our holistic curriculum, or get in touch with our friendly Customer Care Team.
