In recent years, Murrumbidgee Landcare have commenced a program of school holiday workshops, providing fun activities to connect local school-aged children with Landcare and nature.
While the workshops were a great success, they really did not provide the right environment for my autistic son. Being in a noisy and busy environment, with large numbers of unfamiliar children, would be a nightmare for my son, so he preferred not to attend.
Autistic children can greatly benefit from time in nature, but the conditions of our workshops were not providing them with a safe and positive way to do this. So we partnered with the Wagga Autism Support Group to develop suitable workshops together. We were able to make some relatively minor changes to our program, to be able to offer workshops which were targeted for the needs of the autistic community.
We now run two separate workshops each session – one which is open to all, and one which is specifically tailored to the needs of children with autism.
We have commenced discussions with other local groups, including those who support children with physical disabilities, and have plans to expand our workshops to cater for the needs of these and other children with diverse needs. Our aim is to provide opportunities for all children to connect with Landcare and nature in a safe and positive way.
Case Study 3-1: Taking steps towards more inclusive workshops
