Community of Practice
Aspect is hosting the next Community of Practice (CoP) event on 18th March, 2026.
About Community of Practice (CoP)
The Aspect Community of Practice brings people together across sectors to learn with and from each other in order to strengthen inclusive education for Autistic learners. It is a collaborative space grounded in evidence, lived experience and shared problem-solving, supporting meaningful connection, professional learning and collective impact.
Following the success of the 2025 launch, the Community of Practice continues to grow as a forum for educators, leaders, researchers, people with lived experience and community partners to explore challenges, share expertise and develop practical approaches that can be applied across diverse contexts.
Event details
- Date: Wednesday, 18 March, 2026
- Time: 9:00 am – 3:30 pm
- Location: The View, 17 Blue St, North Sydney NSW 2060
- Theme: Autism in schools - building a shared understanding for effective practice
- Cost: Free of charge
Who should attend
- School principals and leadership teams
- Classroom teachers, learning and support teachers and coordinators
- Education support staff
- Policy makers and system leaders
- Researchers and academics
- People with lived experience of autism and neurodiversity
- Parliamentary stakeholders
Event focus
This Community of Practice centres on collaborative inquiry rather than traditional conference presentations. Participants will work together to explore key themes:
- Building a shared understanding of autism as a neurodevelopmental difference
- Designing inclusive, neuro-friendly classroom and school environments
- Embedding universal supports and reasonable adjustments within high-quality teaching practice
Program includes
- Short shared-understanding presentations
- Problem of practice workshops exploring real challenges
- Reflection, discussion and cross-sector connection
- Group sharing of workshop outcomes
A detailed program will be released closer to the date.
Meet our speakers and facilitators
Thank you to everyone who submitted an expression of interest to contribute to our Community of Practice events. We’re pleased to introduce the speakers confirmed so far:
Jill Hellemans
Clinical Director, All Aboard Inclusion
Jill is a Board-Certified Behaviour Analyst, special educator, family counsellor, and Clinical Director with over 25 years’ experience supporting autistic children and young people. Through All Aboard Inclusion, they work with schools to embed evidence-based, strengths-focused practices into everyday teaching. Their work centres on universal supports, reasonable adjustments, and building staff capability to create inclusive, high-quality learning environments.
Suzanne Donnelly
Education Consultant Student Services, Independent Schools NSW
Suzanne has worked in the autism field for over 20 years as a teacher and leader with Autism Spectrum Australia (Aspect) and Positive Partnerships. She has supported schools to deepen their understanding of autism and build inclusive learning environments. Suzanne has presented at the Asia Pacific Autism Conference (APAC) and contributed to resources strengthening school–family collaboration. She is currently an Education Consultant with Independent Schools NSW (ISNSW), supporting schools to implement effective reasonable adjustments for autistic students.
Tracey O’Connor
Head of Learning and Wellbeing, Aspect Western Sydney School
Tracey O’Connor is Head of Learning and Wellbeing at Aspect Western Sydney School, bringing 19 years’ experience across NSW Department of Education and independent specialist education settings. She has extensive expertise in leading learning, wellbeing and inclusive practice within specialist school environments, with a strong focus on fostering positive student outcomes.
