Words by Professor Alison Lane / 2 min read.
As we settle into 2026, I hope everyone in our community enjoyed a restorative break and found moments of rest and connection over the summer. Looking back, 2025 was an exceptionally busy year for OTARC, but also one filled with significant achievement. We celebrated a record number of newly awarded grants and tenders, welcomed a number of new staff members and students into our team, and continued strengthening our partnerships across research, practice, and community. These collective efforts have set a strong foundation for the year ahead.
Already, 2026 is off to a vibrant and energetic start. A major focus for our team has been preparing and submitting OTARC’s bid to lead the National Autism Strategy Knowledge and Translation Hub—an exciting opportunity to contribute meaningfully to national impact in the autism sector. I am very grateful for the generous in principle commitments given by key community partners in the development of this bid, including the Gabra Biik, Wurruwila Wutja Indigenous Research Centre at La Trobe University. I look forward to continuing these connections in 2026.
We have also celebrated the launch of the span.toolkit, a web-based resource to support mental health professionals and community members to support Autistic people experiencing suicidality. Led by OTARC’s Dr Claire Brown and funded by Suicide Prevention Australia, this work fills a significant gap in knowledge and resources available to the community.
I am also thrilled to share that OTARC has been named a finalist in the Universities Australia Shaping Australia Awards, with myself and Rob Anderson, OTARC’s Associate Director of Community Impact, attending the Gala Awards Event at Parliament House in Canberra as this newsletter goes to print.
Looking ahead, we are eager to launch a new strategic planning process to shape OTARC’s priorities and aspirations for the next three years. This process will include close engagement with our community members and partners, whose insights and experiences will be central to shaping our future direction.
Enjoy the last of the warm weather for those of you in the southern hemisphere!
Watch Professor Alison Lane speak on research, sensory differences of Autistic students and school environments as part of our OTARC Video Series below:
