My name is Kirk.
I'm 30 years old and I'm autistic.
I enjoy designing.
That's what I do for work.
I also enjoy reading.
I work in the public sector where I do user experience and service design.
And people would say that I'm inquisitive,
I'm very curious, and I'm not afraid to ask questions.
And that's, that's me in a nutshell.
I would like this strategy to give extra support for autistic people, especially those who are marginalized with more opportunity and growth and also employment.
I also know that the autism unemployment level in Australia is very high.
It currently stands at 34.1%, which is more than three times the rate of people with a disability and almost eight times the rate of people without a disability.
I would like to see autistic employment programs that are focused on, on arts design or, or in the creative industries.
So essentially just broaden the diversity of employment for autistic people.
Autistic and neurodivergent individuals can help establish essential criteria for the strategy.
So, for example, they can they can make their own suggestions for autistic people in it around employment, support services and opportunities.
And we would hear many different opinions from people across all walks of life, not just those who are autistic.
Essentially, we want to bring as many people to the table as possible.