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Need Personalized Support? Our Autism Response Team is here to provide information, tools, and resources. Connect Now
The employment rate of working-age adults with a developmental disability is less than a third compared to people without a disability, meaning there are approximately 500,000 working age adults with intellectual disabilities or autism. Furthermore, 83% of adults with autism reported no employment income in the 2012 Canadian Survey of Disabilities. We must ensure that children who have access to services and resources continue to receive support as they enter adulthood.
Every year we launch grants to autism service providers to increase their capacity and to effectively serve the autism community in Canada. Grants are selected using a rigorous review process, through a community panel of autistic individuals, family members, friends, service providers and research experts across Canada. Since 2010, we have granted over $4.8 million to over 198 organizations across Canada. Approximately 42% of these grants help support our mission objective in helping transitions to adulthood.
A collaboration with Sinneave Family Foundation, autistic adults and other stakeholders, Worktopia seeks to improve the odds of employment success through collecting and sharing data and networking. Evolving from a national project funded in part by the Government of Canada, this network is committed to sharing their perspectives, time and talents to improve the working lives of autistic Canadians.
Through funding from the Government of Canada, Autism Speaks Canada collaborated with the Sinneave Family Foundation to initiate the Employment Works program. Assisting autistic individuals to build up employable skills and create more inclusive workplaces, this program is offered through 10 participating agencies, reaching over 500 participants and 300 employers since its inception in 2014. Designed for individuals who want to enter or return to the workforce, it provides employment preparedness training and support, combined with job sampling and hands-on experience to adults with autism and other disabilities.
Autism Speaks Canada collaborates with Substance Cares to host Spectrum Works job fairs to match individuals with autism with potential employers in Montreal, Vancouver and Toronto. Continuing to break the stigmas associated with people living with autism, these job fairs reinforce that they are able to be contributing members in the workforce. Taking a proactive approach in pairing employers with employees is a significant step in improving adulthood experiences for people living with autism.
Witness the impact of programs and key individuals as they assist in navigating the transition to adulthood.
