Meet Jack. Jack is 23 years old and he has been a part of the Work My Way and (formerly the Next Steps Program) at Autism SA for 5 years. Unsure of his next steps, Jack joined the program after graduating high school.

Autism SA’s Work My Way program equips young autistic adults with skills and experience to pursue their career goals.

Jack is one of the participants and through his involvement has developed his skills and made lasting friendships.

Work My Way encourages participants to pursue opportunities that align with their interests.

As part of the program, Jack visited the studio at Radio Adelaide. This is where he first learned about Audio Ability, a program offering mentorship, training, and work placement opportunities for people living with disability in community media and creative industries. After completing the program, Jack was featured on-air, appearing on Local Noise with host Sarah.

Today, Jack is a regular part of the show, hosting a weekly quiz segment. The Work My Way team accompany Jack each week to provide support.

Powered by his interests in music and movies, Jack develops the quizzes for the show. With the support of the facilitators of the Work My Way program, Jack uncovers interesting facts about Australian artists or iconic bands like ACDC to develop the questions. Through this process Jack has had the opportunity to further develop his writing, research and file saving skills.

“I like learning the names of different artists and learning the names of their songs,” Jack says. “Music and movies are my interests,” he explains. “I am pretty good with quizzes.”

Penny, an Employment Pathways Mentor and facilitator in program shares about her time working with Jack.

“I have enjoyed getting to know Jack and helping him build skills such as teamwork, planning and time management using his interests.” Penny says. “It has been great to see Jack channel his confidence and build his skills through research and planning for the quizzes each week”.

Beyond skill-building, one of Jack’s favourite parts of the program has been the friendships he’s made along the way. “I have enjoyed making new friends and doing some fun activities,” he says.

It has been a pleasure to be part of Jack’s journey and to watch his confidence and skills continue to grow.

To learn more about the Work My Way program, contact Autism SA or visit our website.