OUR MISSION AND VISION
Promoting acceptance and understanding of Autism and Neurodivergence
Our mission is to instill a Neurodiversity-affirming mindset in students, Autistic individuals, parents, and staff members about Autism through accepting and embracing the difference and empowering Autistic individuals.
Our vision is to increase understanding, awareness, and acceptance about Autism in the community. We hope that through our services, we can help support the needs of Autistic individuals and help them harness their unique strengths. Through working with teachers, staff members, parents, students, and Autistic individuals themselves, we aim to equip them with knowledge and appreciation of this neurodivergence.
MEET THE TEAM
Shadia Hancock
They/them
Owner and Founder
Shadia is the proud owner and founder of Autism Actually, and enjoys presenting and consultancy.
Shadia is a Certified Practising Speech Pathologist (CPSP) and has completed a Bachelor of Speech Pathology (Honours) and a Cert IV in Animal Behaviour and Training. They have professional interests in autism, multimodal communication supports, and animal-assisted services.
Shadia was formally identified with Autism at the age of three and ADHD at 23.
As an Autistic person with experience accessing therapeutic supports, Shadia is passionate about sharing how to view Autism from a neurodiversity-affirming perspective.
.jpg)
Jane Hancock
She/her
Speaker
Jane is one of our experienced presenters and advocates at Autism Actually. In addition to being a trained Secondary Mathematics/Science teacher, Jane also has a Master’s degree in Inclusive Education for Autistic students.
From 2008 to 2012, and as of 2025, Jane has been a delivery team member for Positive Partnerships, a federal government initiative aimed at supporting school-aged Autistic students.
Jane currently works as an inclusive education consultant and tutor, with professional interests in supporting Neurodivergent and disabled students.
Jane is the parent of Shadia, and is passionate about sharing her professional and personal understanding of Autism in order to inform other teachers. Jane was also formally identified as Autistic in 2020.
Arwen
Evenstar
She/her
Assistance Dog
Arwen is a standard poodle and Shadia's qualified psychosocial and Autism assistance dog with ongoing training guidance from Busimann's Dog Training, and asessment and accreditation support through Assistance Paws.
Arwen loves outings, cuddles, new experiences, squeaky toys, cheese and chicken treats, and people.
As part of her role, Arwen will be trained to support Shadia accessing public spaces and the workplace. Some of the tasks Arwen will be taught include alerting to increasing anxiety levels, deep pressure therapy, blocking from other people, and harm interruption.