Operational Highlights 2014 – 2015

August 15, 2015

The past two years have been a period of significantly increased operational activities for our regional Charity. The demand for core family support and peer networking activities continues to grow each year. We have also invested significant resources and effort into two employment initiatives for young adults with ASD. The following summarizes the activities of our staff and volunteers:

Individual and Family Support:

  • Email, Telephone and Drop-in support to 1400 -1500 individuals and Families each year

Support Groups and Related Activities:

  • Parents Connecting Support: a monthly facilitated peer group for parents
  • Father’s Autism Network:
  • Keeping It Together (Mom’s Group)
  • Asperger Network: expanding to twice monthly, a peer support group for adults with ASD
  • Go Group: weekly activity based peer group in collaboration with Autism Asperger Friendship Society of Calgary
  • Spouses Support Group: support group for couples married to a partner with ASD
  • Bio Medical Support Group: a monthly group with guest speakers and facilitated discussions. Topics include the full array of complementary alternative practices to supporting individuals and families with ASD (addressing the health and wellness of both the individual with ASD and their family members.)
  • Autism Community Choir: twice monthly meetings plus performances for adults and youth with ASD
  • Pokémon Club: twice monthly card game activity evening for both parents and children (all ages including adult)
  • Weekly private booking of VECOVA swimming pool
  • Seasonal Family based events, family group camping, summer party, December party, support to broader community activities (eg. Allies for Autism Walk/Run)

Proposed for Fall 2016

  • Carer’s Group: discussion group for persons caring for an adult with ASD
  • Family Managed Services Community Activity Group: facilitating a volunteer lead group to schedule community activities for families supporting an adult with ASD under a PDD Family Managed Service Contract

Information Sessions:

  • Professional Development workshops for teachers & teacher assistants, university students (social work, medicine, education)
  • Quarterly sessions to support family advocacy under FSCD Program

Community Outreach:

  • Leading and facilitating the Autism Community Network; a network of 60 individuals representing formal agencies or informal teams providing ASD interventions or ASD specific educational programing in the Calgary area. The network meets monthly for round table updates, to discuss hot topics and ASD community related events (with an ultimate goal to inspire collaborative initiatives)
  • Friend 2 Friend Program: We formally retired this Satellite program delivered in partnership with Vancouver’s Friend 2 Friend Social Learning Society this spring 2015. Our humble team of presenters delivered ASD demystification presentations to more than 40,000 children and 10,000 adults over seven years. Both a puppet based and sensory simulation presentation were delivered to children aged 4 and up to adulthood. We are evaluating new programs to serve changing needsin our school systems.
  • Professional Development workshops for teachers & teacher assistants, university students (social work, medicine, education, summer camp staff, … )
  • Continue to issue Disability Identification Cards (a partnership with City of Calgary Police Diversities Unit)
  • Providing support for roll out of a local Police Volunteer Disability Registry
  • Continue working in partnership with Sinneave Family Foundation Ambassador Program (joint team meetings, referral for individuals and families to our respective programs)

Resource Development:

  • Completing final edits to “A Community Guide to supporting Adults with AS and HFA Through Support Groups, Workshops, and Peer Networking Activities”. Evaluating risks / benefits to distributing through informal or formal publication.

Employment Initiatives:

  • Meticulon Consulting: Meticulon is a social enterprise initiative aiming to be financially self-sufficient, modeled after successful international businesses (utilizing assessment and training approaches used by Passwerk a similar financially self-sufficient business in Belgium).

Meticulon currently employs 12 adults with ASD in quality assurance and software testing at or above market salaries for equivalent services. Meticulon aims to be recongnized as the leader in this IT consulting field (and by the way, their consultants have ASD.)

The project is a partnership with Autism Calgary, Sinneave Family Foundation, and the Government of Canada (Social Development Partnership Program.) As of October 1, 2015, we were successful in supporting Meticulon to split from Autism Calgary and operate independently as a Registered Charitable Business (one of the first social enterprise initiatives to incorporate under this legislation in Canada.)

  • Spectrum Advantage: An employment experience program for youth (aged 18 to 30 years) with ASD. This is a pilot program funded for the period May 2014 through September 2015.

The program targets individuals who have the capacity for employment (without one to one assistance) individuals who have been unsuccessful without support to seek and sustain employment.

The pilot program is a partnership with Autism Calgary, Sinneave Family Foundation, and Government of Canada (Regional department of Human Resources and Skills Development Program, Skills Link Fund).

The program provides four weeks of pre employment skills training followed by a twelve week employment experience placement. The goal is employment beyond the program or to inspire a return to school.

We are currently active in fund development to sustain the program beyond the pilot period – directions considered include replication of the initiative with partners both nationally and provincially.

Suite 174, 3359 27th Street NE, Calgary, AB, T1Y 5E4 Ph: (403) 250-5033 Fx: (403) 250-2625

Canadian Charitable Number: 141096701 RR0001