VALE Dr Joan Curtis – trailblazer who transformed lives and challenged the prevailing advice of her time
The passing of Mansfield Autism founder Dr Joan Curtis is an occasion to reflect, with immense gratitude, on an extraordinary life. A pioneer of family-centred autism services in Australia, she changed the course of countless lives for the better.
In the 1960s, Joan refused to accept the prevailing views about her son, whose developmental delay was later diagnosed as autism. Rather than accept initial claims that her professional career was to blame or follow subsequent advice to withdraw from his world and eventually relinquish him to state care, she was determined to find a better way forward.
Joan began a mission to find a better way for her son to reach his potential and experience the opportunities available to his neurotypical peers. She intuitively turned to outdoor exercise, nature, healthy eating and good sleep routines. Encouraged by the results, she held the first autism family camp in 1968 at Mansfield Secondary College, attended by families from across Victoria.
So began a life of passionate and dedicated service in the disability sector and the birth of Mansfield Autism Statewide Services – a career tangent that Joan, who continued working as a General Practitioner and Obstetrician, had not foreseen. Joan worked, trained and learned from so many families with children who were on the spectrum.
For 50 years she challenged all roadblocks that were presented to her with persistence and resilience, tirelessly advocating for opportunities for young people with autism and their families. She did all of this while raising her own two boys with husband Humphrey and working as a doctor, delivering generations of babies in Mansfield.
In 2020, at the age of 90, Joan retired from the Mansfield Autism Statewide Services Board. Today the organisation continues to carry on Joan’s proud legacy, providing wide ranging supports and services to autistic children and adults and their families.
Chief Executive Simone Reeves describes Dr Curtis as a trailblazer and someone to whom it was almost impossible to say no. “She was a force to be reckoned with and an absolute inspiration.”
“Joan’s contribution, vision and leadership have been incomparable. Sixty years later, we have remained true to her belief that the family is the child’s most important teacher,” she said.
Tributes from Joan’s family, friends, community and the autism sector reflect the force of her character, her passion and dedication, and the deep esteem in which she was held. To those at Mansfield Autism, Dr Joan Curtis will forever remain an inspiration: a person who challenged advice that did not make sense and forged a path that has transformed the lives of countless autistic people and their families.
We are proud to carry Joan’s vision forward, ensuring her pioneering legacy continues to improve lives for generations to come.
Our deepest sympathies to her family; her sons David and Jonathan, her daughter in law Karen and her grandchildren Kate, Sarah and Nicholas.