For Immediate Release
(Toronto, ON) September 26th 2024- Autism Alliance of Canada welcomes the release of Canada’s first Autism Strategy, seeing it as a critical step forward, but there is much more work to be done to ensure real change for Autistic Canadians and their families.
“Our organization and its members have worked tirelessly to amplify the calls of Autistic Canadians and their families for a comprehensive and viable Autism Strategy since 2007,” says Dr. Jonathan Lai, Executive Director of Autism Alliance of Canada. “Since this government announced its intentions to release a Strategy in 2019, we held high hopes that such a plan would translate to real-life changes on the ground – we can’t say we’re there yet, but we commit to continuing to work alongside the government to make sure we get this right.”
The strategy is a good start and identifies several important priorities. However, it falls short on concrete steps to address key issues like reducing waitlists for children requiring diagnostic assessments, addressing high unemployment rates among Autistic adults and ensuring equitable access to supports and services across the lifespan. Without addressing these significant gaps and allocating targeted funding, the Strategy will remain aspirational.
For close to two decades, in response to the Senate Committee Report “Pay Now or Pay Later: Autism Families in Crisis,” Autism Alliance of Canada has been at the forefront of advocating for an Autism Strategy; demonstrated through various initiatives, including building a Blueprint for a National Autism Strategy in 2019 and a Roadmap towards a National Autism Strategy in 2020, along with developing a policy compendium tool focused on central pillars (Social Inclusion, Economic Inclusion, Evidence-Informed Supports and Services, and Governance and Research). More recently the Alliance launched the National Centre of Autism Collaboration, building on the momentum to fulfill Alliance’s five-year strategic plan.
“Our members, along with many others across the country, are dedicated to creating a strategy that will positively impact the lives of the over one million Autistics in Canada and their families. We have laid the groundwork for the government, but there is much more work to do,” says Rebekah Kintzinger, Co-Chair of Autism Alliance of Canada’s Board of Directors. “This continues to be a marathon rather than a sprint, but we’ve proven to have great endurance in our advocacy efforts and we will continue to push for real, profound change on the issues that matter most.”
“The release of the Strategy is a step in the right direction, but it doesn’t go far enough to address the real, daily challenges autistic people and their families face,” says Dr. Deepa Singal, Scientific Director of the Alliance. “With almost 70-80% of autistic people unemployed, waitlists for diagnosis stretching two to four years, and classrooms failing to meet inclusion and human rights standards, we need to use this momentum to build stronger systems and spread effective solutions across the country. Every autistic person and their family deserves the support they need, when they need it.”
For Information:
Vanessa Sophie: communications@autismalliance.ca
Allison Garber: allison@allisongarber.ca
About Autism Alliance of Canada
Autism Alliance of Canada is a pan-Canadian network with a broad and diverse membership of Autistic people and their families and support persons, as well as clinicians, researchers, policy influencers, service providers and organizations from across Canada. We work together as a shared leadership movement to champion an Autism Strategy that ensures Autistic people have equal rights and opportunities for full participation and acceptance in Canadian society. We harness the power of collective impact as an inclusive organization whose members, board of directors and staff reflect our commitment to Autistic participation in all aspects of our work. For more information visit https://autismalliance.ca/