In March 2019, Autism Alliance of Canada developed the Blueprint for National Autism Strategy as the starting point for the discussion around a national autism strategy (NAS). The blueprint is broken down into three key areas of focus and six key principles. Each pillar outlined within the blueprint is directly attributed to community consultations held by Autism Alliance of Canada.
The three key areas of focus of the blueprint are:
- Federal leadership to facilitate cooperation and coordination across the country.
- Immediate federal action in areas of direct federal responsibility on:
- Affordability and access
- Information
- Employment
- Housing
- Research
- A cross-government approach to autism to ensure a consistent response from all parts of government that touch the lives of people on the spectrum.
Soon after the launch of the Blueprint in 2019, the federal government announced its commitment to developing and implementing a national autism strategy, in December 2019.
As a follow-up to the Blueprint for a national autism strategy, Autism Alliance of Canada developed the Roadmap to a National Autism Strategy in 2020. The roadmap proposes a timeline for the government to work together with the autism community to develop and implement a robust national autism strategy.
The goal: An impactful, measurable, and sustainable national autism strategy
Autism Alliance of Canada has been at the forefront of calls for anational autism strategy, calling on all federal parties and candidates to commit to the swift implementation of the strategy. Autism Alliance of Canada is positioned to work with the federal government and to mobilize members from across the country to develop a robust NAS that ensures that all Autistic people living in Canada have full and equal access to the resources they require to achieve their full potential.
