OUR VISION IS A WORLD THAT EMBRACES AUTISM
OUR PURPOSE – To prove what autistics CAN do.
OUR VALUES – We are Positive, We Enable, We are Gutsy, We are Open, We build Networks and We have Integrity.
With 106 staff, 82 are autistic, mentoring over 3000 autistic and neurodiverse individuals nation-wide. I CAN has grown into Australia’s largest autistic-led organisation.
ABOUT I CAN
The I CAN story started with one family, the Varneys. Lisa Anderson and John Varney instilled an ‘I CAN’ attitude in their Autistic son Chris through a network of supportive friends and teachers. Years later, in 2013, Chris founded ‘I CAN Network’ with the help of two autistic mates Penny Robinson and James Ong.
Our branding captures the wonder of the aurora borealis (or northern lights): a natural spectrum. Our commitment to an Autistic-led approach is so deep that Goal One of our strategy is to grow I CAN with a 50% difference: a minimum of half of our staff must be autistic.
Now in our tenth year, I CAN’s knowledge of autistic young people, schools and mentoring practice has enabled us to achieve widespread influence across the landscape of children’s rights and inclusive education and employment. I CAN Ltd is an ongoing member of the Victorian Government’s Autism Education Advisory Group and Autism Plan Advisory Group, the Australian Association for Special Education, the Child Rights NGO Taskforce and the Australian Autism Alliance.
In the past year alone, I CAN has mentored more than 3000 Autistic kids, teenagers and young adults. Since our inception in 2013, I CAN Network currently employees 106 people Australia-wide, 82 proudly autistic.
CHRIS VARNEY
Chris is the founder and Chief Enabling Officer, CEO of the I CAN Network. He spent 11 years with World Vision Australia and World Vision International where his roles included Youth Ambassador, VGen Co-Director and Manager of Youth Supporters.
Growing up with Asperger’s, he was inspired to start I CAN from the support his family, schools and mentors gave him, which he shares in his TEDx ‘Autism – How My Unstoppable Mother Proved the Experts Wrong’. Now with over half a million views!
OUR IMPACT
Many of the young people who are new to our mentoring programs join us with a sense of shame around being Autistic. Too often, they have internalised the negative perceptions of others and the deficits-based view of Autism.
At I CAN, we believe in a rethink of Autism that moves young people from a mindset of ‘I CAN’T’ to ‘I CAN.’ We do this through respectful, peer-based programs that celebrate Autistic strengths, passions and shared experiences.
Since our launch in September 2013, we have helped thousands of Autistic young people develop a stronger sense of self-acceptance, confidence, optimism and belonging. In the process, we are demonstrating the high level of innovation and positive social change that comes from valuing Autistic insights and talent. It’s not just our Autistic mentees and mentors who benefit from our strengths-based approach to Autism and neurodiversity. Every day, we see more and more people embracing our hopeful, respectful rethink of Autism.