Is it a bird or plane? No, it’s super employable Zac!

Zac has achieved some major milestones in the last few months, with help from Aruma support workers.

February 3, 2025

Zac Graham offers a superpower in the workplace. With strong attention to detail and a process-driven work ethic, the 26-year-old’s superpower is none other than Autism.

On his job hunt however, Zac found potential employers seemed to overlook his superpower and instead simply saw his disability.

After interviewing at several local businesses around Maitland, New South Wales, with no luck, Zac has started working at Aruma’s Commercial Laundry in Warabrook, as part of our open employment opportunities.

It’s going pretty well, Zac says of his varied role.

I chat with the people I work with and can get support if I need it.

When Zac came to Aruma six years ago, he was quiet and lacked communication skills, meaning he was unable to verbalise his emotions, needs and wants.

Today, not only has he landed a job at the laundry, but he recently got his driver’s license – two major rites of passage for many young people.

Zac with his big sister Mel Graham

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Aruma People Services Team Leader Mel Graham is Zac’s big sister, and she couldn’t be prouder of how far Zac has come, with supports from Aruma.

Zac had never really been able to talk about his emotions and he found it challenging to build friendships and generally have conversations, Mel explained.

When I started working for Aruma (then House with No Steps) in 2018, I connected with Support Managers to figure out how we could use Zac’s funding better and get consistent supports for him.  

With a bit of an edge working in the disability sector, Mel was able to help Zac find a better fit with Aruma. Zac now regularly attends the Maitland Club Aruma where he’s made many friends.

Our support workers have been amazing for Zac, she said.

They’ve helped him build so much confidence and learn a whole lot of social skills by implementing strategies like asking him open-ended questions to allow him to better respond and overcome his fear of rejection for answering a question ‘wrong’.

Our Support Workers have worked with Zac in his home to help him enhance his life skills like cooking, cleaning and shopping for groceries. Aruma has also connected him with speech therapists and occupational therapists to work through his communication barriers and improve his lifestyle.

Both Zac and Mel want employers across Maitland and surrounds to look beyond diagnoses like Autism and see the array of potential benefits people on the spectrum offer.

We’ve found that workplaces offering open employment seem to be quite selective with exactly what kind of person with a disability they are willing to employ. This has created a lot of barriers for Zac, so he felt disheartened after attending multiple interviews leading to nowhere, Mel explains.

Aruma’s laundry is giving Zac some great work experience and confidence, which we hope will support him to go on to achieve more of his goals, like saving up to buy a car and one day working in a commercial kitchen in the area.

Zac would like to work in a kitchen at a café or restaurant one day, where he can put his detailed eye and focus on process skills to work.