Promoting Inclusion in the Workplace
written by Erika Jacinto, United Way Centraide Canada
Autisme Péninsule acadienne is a nonprofit grassroots organization in Caraquet, New Brunswick. Its mission is to provide support, resources, information and services to individuals, their families, stakeholders, and professionals in autism-related areas.
During the pandemic, the team quickly realized that people with autism were left to their own devices, were isolated, and disconnected from reality, resulting in the worsening of their mental health. This was particularly true for young people and adults who didn’t have access to supports necessary to enter the job market and develop their autonomy.
Committed to their vision to enhance services and optimize the quality of life for individuals with autism, their families and loved ones in their community, the organization was grateful to receive funding from the Government of Canada’s Community Services Recovery Fund (CSRF) for the upscaling of several projects.
Acknowledging that a website often serves as the first impression visitors gain of an organization, they gathered all the required resources (technical and intellectual) to revamp their public image, as well as the design of their main website, in order to create a new one, catering specifically to people with autism in the workplace.
The funding also allowed them to pick up a project they first launched in 2021: the preparation and publication of two guides (books), one for individuals with autism and the second, for their employers. The guide Je suis autiste et je travaille (in French), written for people with autism, is over 300 pages long. The guide for employers, J’ai embauché une personne autiste (in French) has 40 pages. They were designed, adjusted and customized using tools and strategies for labour market stakeholders.
The province’s minister of Education and Francophone school districts have indicated their intention to use the guides to help learners transition from school to the job market.
Funds were also used to start developing an online course to train all users on the right use of the guides. They also provided them with tools allowing them to achieve maximum results regarding the integration and retention of people with autism in the workplace.
Pursuing their vision to enhance the quality of life of individuals with autism, their families, and loved ones in the Acadian peninsula, the team has already received requests to share their guides from other Franco-Canadian organizations, as well as from Europe. These guides have turned into tools that will be of great use outside Canada. Discussions are under way to translate both guides in different languages.
The organization’s director, Liette Lanteigne insists on the importance of knowledge and capacity transfer in the field of autism.
“We developed our guides taking into account the existing material to avoid reinventing the wheel. Every person interested in learning about autism should have access to these resources, amongst others. We are grateful for the CSRF funding and their help in developing our services to better support our deserving communities.”
The Community Services Recovery Fund was a one-time $400 million investment from the Government of Canada to support community service organizations, including charities, non-profits, and Indigenous governing bodies as they focused on how to adapt their organizations for recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Community Foundations of Canada, alongside the Canadian Red Cross and United Way Centraide Canada, supported close to 5,500 community service organizations through the Community Services Recovery Fund.