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PALM SUNDAY RALLY FOR REFUGEES, GAREMA PLACE, CANBERRA

The Palm Sunday Rally in Canberra was a gathering of many different groups including many local churches wanting to show their concern for Australia’s treatment of refugees over the last 20 years, especially those in off shore and on shore detention. The treatment of so many legitimate asylum seekers, fleeing for their lives, only to find extensive imprisonment and bureaucratic and political intransigence, has been a stain on our country. Many churches led the rally, including the Kippax, North Belconnen, Tuggeranong, Woden, and City Uniting Churches.

Multiple cries of shame, shame reverberated through the large gathering as the speakers identified the travesties of our federal policies and our contravention of United Nations conventions. Our faith and the workings of the Spirit – within and beyond our churches, compelled us to take this journey, as Jesus did, to challenge injustice. The speakers included those who had suffered from our policies, as well as known, brave advocates for asylum seekers. • Shabnam Safa: Chair National Refugee-led Advisory and

Advocacy Group (NRAAG) • Asher Hirsch: Refugee Council of Australia • Dr Claire Loughnan: University of Melbourne • Abbas Nazari: Author of After the Tampa (Tampa refugee 2001 and Fulbright Scholar) MARY WOODHOUSE NORTH BELCONNEN UNITING CHURCH IN RESPONSE TO PEOPLE ON THE AUTISM SPECTRUM AND THE CHURCH

It’s great to see an article on better inclusion of autistic people in the church (or anywhere for that matter). It’s great practice that you have engaged with autistic people in writing the article, as much written on autistic people from a neurotypical perspective falls short. I’m loving seeing people connecting in the comments! It can be really helpful to frame the conversation about IT CAN BE REALLY HELPFUL TO FRAME inclusion around the THE CONVERSATION broader category of neurodivergence – which includes autism, ABOUT INCLUSION AROUND THE but also a range of other different brain types such as BROADER CATEGORY OF ADHD, PDA, dyslexia, personality disorders, NEURODIVERGENCE PTSD and CPTSD. Encouraging everyone to have a better understanding of how the nervous system functions, tuning into the connection between sensory experience and preferred religious style and practice, and communication differences/disability (an AAC confident church would be amazing!), can be life changing and really shift one’s perspective on how to make safe, inclusive spaces. it’s important when referring to Hans Asperger to mention that he was a Nazi collaborator and sent people with disability to be euthanised. It’s very important to consider the sources of information about autism as many are controversial to autistic people. The widely promoted Autism Speaks organisation, who have a ‘light it up in blue’ campaign, are considered by many autistics to promote hate speech against autistic people. Look for authorship that is ‘actually autistic’ as much as possible, and research that is conducted with the full involvement and oversight of autistic people. RENEE MCLEAN