Post-school social inclusion 105the provision of personalised supports. A key factor in social capital is the expected
reciprocal nature of interaction; therefore, it is necessary to provide opportunities to
enhance personal growth for adults with ASD, so that they might benefit maximally
from a more inclusive society (Schalock et al., 2016).
Past and present efforts to improve social inclusion
for adults with ASD
Efforts of the Australian government directed at social protection of individuals
with disabilities can be traced to the implementation of income support provi-
sions through the Commonwealth Invalid and Old-Age Pensions Act, enacted in
1908 (Mays, 2015). Firmly rooted in a medical model of disability, these provisions
focused on a deficit approach concerning a lack of capacity to work.
Efforts aimed specifically at eliminating discrimination and promoting social
inclusion for people with disabilities began in earnest when the spotlight on dis-
ability rights issues was brought forth by the International Year of Disabled Persons
in 1981 (Government of Western Australia Disability Services Commission, n.d.).
The push from advocacy groups led to the first national survey of people with dis-
abilities conducted by the Australia Bureau of Statistics in 1981 (Australian Bureau
of Statistics, 2014). The Handicapped Persons Review and the resulting New
Directions Report (Commonwealth Minister for Community Services, 1985) was
a ground-breaking move forward by including the voices of people with disabilities
and their family members through an extensive consultation process. The primary
findings of the report noted the dissatisfaction with services and the barriers present
to social inclusion.
After the Australian government began to determine how many people with
disability were living in the country and recognised the challenges these individuals
faced in obtaining social inclusion, various legislation and policies have consequently
been implemented. Reports and reviews followed to evaluate their impact and to
identify barriers that remained. Undeniably, in the last 30 years, progress has been
made (Volkmar and Wolf, 2013), but this must be tempered with the fact that the
voices of people with disability today echo issues identified in the New Directions
Report (Bigby and Wiesel, 2011). Although not a complete timeline of historical
events, Figure 8.2 and the subsequent discussion provide an overview of events,
major pieces of legislation, policy, reviews, and reports of efforts to address social
inclusion impacting people with disability in Australia, in particular, adults with ASD.
Following the release of the New Directions Report (1985), the Australian
Government enacted the Commonwealth Disability Services Act (Commonwealth
Attorney-General’s Department, 1986). This legislation was to replace a previous
law that focused on providing segregated settings for people with disability for
accommodation, day programs, and employment (Commonwealth Attorney-
General’s Department, 1974). The Disability Services Act aimed to provide peo-
ple with disabilities with services that were more responsive and supports that
would promote integration in the community and employment (Commonwealth