Safeguarding the future conference - Canberra, 23-24 May 2024

Ros Kewley

Ros Kewley presented alongside Milly Whitehead and her mother, Simone, on Day 1 of the Opening Opportunities conference on the theme of Creating opportunities that start with the person.

About Ros Kewley

Portrait of Ros Kewley

Ros Kewley is passionate about promoting diversity, inclusion, and social responsibility. She has actively participated in various professional and personal activities to improve the lives of others.

Ros has multiple roles in this field. She is the proud mother of a neurodiverse young man named Austin. Ros organises social events and offers capacity-building opportunities for neurodiverse adults through a community called “The With Friends Initiative.”

Additionally, Ros works as an Educator and Solution Architect for Defence and Government at KBR, a global company. In this position, she advocates for and promotes diversity and inclusion, and is an active member and local representative of our Global Employee Resource Group.

Our Discovery journey with Milly

Milly Whitehead, Simone Whitehead, and Ros Kewley

Milly, Simone , and Ros spoke at the conference about

  • how they learned about Customised Employment and started to apply it
  • how they have prepared Milly for life after school
  • their experience of the Discovery process and what they learned about Milly’s interests, conditions for successful employment, and potential contributions she can make to a business.
  • how they set up Milly’s work experience in Office Administration, including on-the-job support and relationship development
  • how they set up a Microenterprise named Made by Miss Milly and why it was such a good idea
  • How the family and workplace discovered and met Milly’s conditions for successful employment. Milly
    • works best in small groups where she feels comfortable and supported but from where she is also free/able to extend herself outside this immediate comfort zone
    • prefers to learn without pressure or time constraints
    • establishes structure and routine using lists and timetables
    • prefers having a mix of routines and a variety of tasks
    • likes knowing what to expect and preparing for the day ahead
  • the challenges that arose and how they were overcome.

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