ABOUT SASI

Statewide Autistic Services Incorporated, is a non-profit organisation funded through government grants, donations, community and private fundraising activities.

SASI, as the organisation has become known, originated in December 1966, and was then known as the Victorian Autistic Children's Association. The challenge for a small group of concerned parents was to provide appropriate educational services for their autistic children, who at that time were ineligible to attend the Victorian State Education system.  Originally the program operated from a church hall in Cheltenham, providing specialised education for six children with autism. 

Other services for people with autism quickly developed, and by 1970 three of these services aligned themselves to create the Victorian Autistic Children's Association (now Autism Victoria), prompting a name change for our group to the Victorian Autistic Children's Association - Southern Centre. The other two services represented were Mansfield Play School and Irabina (Eastern Centre). Autism Victoria now represents 13 organistions providing support to people with autism of all ages, and their families. 

By the early 70's the Southern Centre had purchased land and constructed the first purpose built school for autistic and similarly disabled children. The school based in Mentone would later become known as Mentone Autistic School (now Southern Autistic School, based in Bentleigh, Vic).

In 1976 the Committee of Management felt that the provision of education was not fully meeting the needs of the children and their families. In response to families need a Social Welfare officer was employed to provide family support and counselling. In December 1978 a residential house in Mentone was purchased with the aim to provide daily living programs for the students of the school. Again in response to families need,  a "cottage parent" was employed in 1980, with weekend and school holiday respite being offered to the students attending the school, by 1989 respite was being offered full-time from the house. Swonnell House is still in operation, and provides respite care for autistic children year round, it remains the only autism specific respite service in the state. The house has been purpose renovated to suit the needs of our client group.

A Recreation Officer was later employed to run programs on weekends and school holidays, and to offer advice to families. Recreation programs are currently offered to families living in the Southern Metropolitan Region.     

By the mid 1980's the Victorian State Government had taken responsibility for the provision of education to all children in Victoria, as such the Committee of Management sold the school facility to the Education Department in 1986. At this time the organisations name was changed to Southern Autistic Services Inc.

Between 1991 and 2000 six full-time community residential units were established within the Southern Metropolitan Region, each providing on-going care and accommodation for up to 5 young adults with autism and similar disabilities.

Adult Education, Training Support Services were developed in the late 1990's, beginning with Beachlynn which opened in 1997 and is located in Seaford. Other services in Sale (SELF), Morwell (Alfred Murfey Centre) and Croydon (Eastlynn) also began offering programs to adults during the day. 

In 1999, in recognition of the fact that SASI offered services in the Southern & Eastern Metropolitan Regions and Gippsland, as well as offering respite and community education to people from all regions, the organisation changed it's name to Statewide Autistic Services Inc.  

Statewide Autistic Services Inc continually monitor all programs offered to our clients, to ensure services are meeting their needs.