2018 in Review

2018 was a busy year for Autistics United Canada!

In the last year, we have changed our name in order to better include our Indigenous autistic siblings and respect the land we occupy and work on, launched our website, and hosted socials and events to foster autistic pride in our communities and advocate for ourselves in and the wider disabled community. 

Some of our major projects this year were our annual Disability Day of Mourning (DDoM) vigils, which we were able to live stream from Vancouver this year, and our letter writing campaign about immigration for people with disabilities regarding the medical inadmissibility provisions in the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. Both of these campaigns were held nationwide!

We have also been able to reach out and form stronger relationships with other self-advocacy organizations such as A4A Ontario and London Autistics Standing Together (LAST). These relationships have also helped us create a new chapter, Autistics United Nova Scotia - Wabanaki Confederacy and Mi'kmaq Territory, which was formed in early December. 

Chapter News 

AU Vancouver - Musqueam, Squamish & Tsleil-Wututh Territory
Socials:

• Autism Acceptance Month Celebration - a day filled with craft, food, and stimming!
• Autistic Pride Day - celebrated with year with a relaxed board games event for all ages.
• Netflix Day - screening a captioned sensory-friendly movie (hosted by SFU Autistics United).

Advocacy and Outreach:

• We expanding the neurodiversity library, which lends stim toys and books with no fees or fines.
• We presented our All Brains Are Beautiful workshop at Simon Fraser University and Douglas College, as well as to parent, educator, and researcher groups. The workshop has been filmed for future release!

Director and Chapter Leader Vivian Ly also spoke at the Autistics Present Symposium and Autism Community Training's Focus in Research conferences, and was honoured with the Service to the Self Advocacy Movement Award during the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network's (ASAN's) Gala in November.

AU Manitoba - Anishnaabeg, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dakota & Dene Territory & Homeland of the Métis Nation
Socials:

• Autism Acceptance Month - board games and snakes at a local cafe!
• Autistic Pride Day - our annual picnic and day at the park.
• International Day of the Stim - an evening of socializing and public stimming.
• "Flappy Holidays" Party - good food, good conversation, and a gift exchange,

Advocacy and Outreach:

• Presentation to the clinical staff at St. Amant about best practices for working with autistic people.
• Walking in Red at the local Autism Awareness March on April 2.
• "I Am Ableism" Video Project showing the strength and diversity of the autistic community.
• Autism Variety Show fundraiser in April featuring local autistics talent!

AU Nova Scotia - Wabanaki Confederacy and Mi'kmaq Territory
While this chapter just formed in December, Chapter Leader Alex Kronsteinhas been a long-time Autistic advocate, including hosting DDoM annually and advocating against dangerous therapies. We are excited to work with him more in the future!
 
What's Coming for 2019? 

In addition to our annual events, such as DDoM and Autism Acceptance Month, this year we also plan on:

• Releasing a filmed version of the All Brains Are Beautiful workshop (Vancouver Chapter).
• Hosting an intergenerationality-themed conference (Vancouver Chapter).
• Doing a harm-reduction presentation to the Winnipeg Police Department about best practices for law enforcement working with autistics people (Manitoba Chapter).
• Amplifying autistics voices regarding a National Autism Strategy.
• Submitting a report to the United Nations about police brutality towards autistic and disabled people in Canada.

We could not have made it this far without the support from you and the community! If you would like to be more involved, or have any suggestions or stories to share, please consider becoming a member, volunteering with us, or reaching out to us over social media (Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr) or email ([email protected]). We have our work cut out for us in the upcoming year!