Program for Supporting Autistic Social Entrepreneurs

In Unit 1 participants will differentiate between deficit and neurodiversity affirming views of autism, and between autism and conditions that frequently occur alongside autism. They will learn about innate autistic ways of thinking, why they should not encourage autistic people to mask their autism, and how to take a design justice approach when developing and providing services to autistic individuals.

In Unit 2 participants will understand why all autistic owned and led businesses are by definition social enterprises, identify how autistic characteristics align with the social innovation school of social entrepreneurship, and learn how to support autistic individuals to recognise and use their innate autistic ways of thinking to create and systemise social innovations. They will also learn why an effectual entrepreneurship approach is best suited to the characteristics of autistic individuals and understand the challenges that need to be addressed in order to create an enabling environment for autistic social entrepreneurship.

In Unit 3 participants will understand the complexity of creating an enabling environment for autistic social entrepreneurship and why it will require an entrepreneurial ecosystem that consists of autistic social entrepreneurs, disability service providers, social enterprise support organisations, and business advisors. They will also be able to identify adjustments that social enterprise and autism support organisations can make to their activities, events, and operations to create an enabling environment for autistic social entrepreneurship.