Recognizing the Acceptance, Affirmation, and Appreciation of Autistic People on Autism Acceptance Day.

Today, let's come together to celebrate the acceptance, affirmation, and appreciation of autistic individuals. Let's dedicate ourselves not only this day but every day to understanding the experiences of autistic people and their valuable contributions to our communities, workplaces, and recreational spaces. 

At CSAHS, we are showcasing the impactful work of our centers and researchers, including autistic scholars making critical contributions and working among autistic communities.

CSAHS’s Centers Supporting Autistic Individuals  

 The Re•Vision Centre for Art and Social Justice 

Two noteworthy initiatives at Re•Vision: "Beyond the Normative Knot," a groundbreaking project with a focus on autism, and Lindsey Thomson’s work who is an esteemed affiliate of the Re•Vision Centre. Thomson is renowned for her extensive community engagement and research endeavors within autistic communities. 

Beyond the Normative Knot: Life and Praxis at the Gender-Sexuality-Autism Nexus 

Beyond the Normative Knot is a new project led by Re•Vision: The Centre for Art and Social Justice Postdoctoral Fellow Dr. Elizabeth Straus and involving CSAHS faculty member Dr. Carla Rice. Through interviews and digital storytelling, the project aims to challenge and transform stereotypes about the entanglements of gender, sexuality, and autism in health care, education, and communities, increase representation, and expand possibilities for living and thriving across diverse embodiments of gender, sexualities, and autistic ways of being.  

The project is autistic-led and centers autistic and 2SLGBTQIA+ voices and knowledge co-production. The project also involves critical allies who are committed to shifting narratives and practices in affirming ways.   

Stay tuned to Re•Vision's social media [Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Bluesky] for more details on the project as recruitment gets underway this spring and summer.  

Lindsey Thomson: Autistic Researchers and Critical Shifts in Autism Scholarship  

Lindsey Thomson (she/her) is the Manager of Community Engaged Teaching and Learning at the Community Engaged Scholarship Institute (CESI). She is passionate about building capacity for and supporting partnerships in anti-oppressive community engagement, research and teaching, and knowledge mobilization. She is also a 2nd-year student in the Social Practice and Transformational Change doctoral program, being co-advised by Dr. Carla Rice and Dr. Adam Davies.  

•  Lindsey, a queer/femme late-diagnosed autistic woman, co-facilitates a collective of autistic and neurodivergent individuals involved in projects and expert guidance for the Re-Storying Autism in Education Partnership. 
• Additionally, she co-facilitates Rainbow Spectrum Pride, a monthly virtual support group for queer autistic adults. 
• Her research, rooted in critical community engaged scholarship, utilizes storytelling and photovoice methods to explore the unique knowledge and experiences of diverse autistic femme communities, aiming to align practices with disability justice principles. 

Live Work Well Research Centre  

The Live Work Well Research Centre’s Disabilities, Access and Inclusion Cluster, led by Deborah Stienstra, seeks to take an intersectional approach to disabilities studies to provide knowledge kits for inclusive practices with actionable tools and to inform social policy.  The Centre’s latest blog, Indigenous and Autistic: Nothing About Us Without Us, discusses what autism “awareness” means from the perspective of an autistic Indigenous writer. A previous Autism Acceptance Day blog post describes the experiences of an LWWRC undergraduate research assistant (URA) working at a residential home for adolescents with autism and provides useful resources.  

The Centre has also been sharing resources for Autism Acceptance Day via Twitter @live_work_well as well as its news feed. Here are a few of the resources they recommend:  

• Read the Centre’s news item about innovative Library programs that support autistic individuals by creating inclusive and welcoming spaces. 
• Why do we say autistic people and not people with autism? Learn why many autistic people prefer Identity-First Language.  
• Caregivers who could benefit from support networks can find support from family, fellow caregivers, or the Ontario Caregiver Helpline. Learn more at the Ontario Caregiver Organization.  
• Sensory support kits can be helpful in comforting an autistic individual – learn more about Sensory Support Kits from Autism Canada.  
• AIDE Canada’s online library provides free access to over 3000 resources on autism. 
• The UK’s National Autistic Society offers advice and guidance about autism and the challenges autistic people and their families face. 

Autism Services at Maplewoods Centre for Family Therapy and Child Psychology  

Maplewoods Centre for Family Therapy and Child Psychology provides a range of services for clients of all ages on a sliding scale, including supporting those with neurodiversity such as ADHD and autism.   

Olivia Dobson, BSc, MA, Ph.D. student 

Olivia Dobson is on a mission to ease the challenges faced by autistic children and their families during needle procedures. Through her research journey, she aims to create accessible resources that offer comfort and empowerment. Currently completing her psychology practicum at Surrey Place in Toronto, Olivia's commitment extends beyond academia, resonating deeply with her advocacy for children with intellectual and developmental disabilities. 

Read more about Olivia’s research and work.