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Autistic Self Advocacy in Ontario
Autistics for Autistics Ontario (A4A) is Canada’s national autistic self-advocacy organization. We are an international affiliate of the Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN).
We are an autistic-led organization, meaning that neither our parents nor service providers advocate “for” us. We are proudly autistic. We work in partnership with other disability groups to educate the public and transform Canada’s autism policies from a charity perspective to a RIGHTS perspective.
We advocate for our federal, provincial and territorial governments to consult directly with autistic people when developing the policies that affect our lives. For too long, autistics have been excluded from input into decision-making while service providers have dominated the discussion.
We are committed to making our province and our country more equitable and safer for autistic people–non-speaking and speaking, with a full range of service needs and across intersectionalities. We engage in education, activism and advocacy in 4 areas:
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- School inclusion
- Employment
- Housing
- Access to health care
Recent Work
We have consulted on autistic rights and policy with:
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- The United Nations
- The Canadian Senate
- The Government of Canada
- The Canadian Academy of Health Science
- The Ontario government
- various other entities
A4A members founded the Autistic Health Access Project, which speaks to medical schools about the access needs of autistic and/or non-speaking patients.
In 2019, A4A launched the City of Toronto’s first annual raising of the Neurodiversity Flag at Toronto City Hall! (pictured above)
Our members regularly speak to employers, higher education institutions and health providers and others about neurodiversity and inclusion.
Since 2021, A4A has been a Community Partner in the City of Toronto’s Vaccine Outreach Initiative, ensuring that autistics with access needs, can safely and comfortably access the City’s Covid vaccine clinics.
We run a Discord server for our members where autistic adults share resources, organize meetups and connect across the country. Some of our members also do in-person autistic mentorship with kids and young adults through community partnerships.
We are a non-partisan group. We evaluate politicians on their achievements, not their party.
Please read our Guides and Policy Papers to learn more. Or visit our Blog to see what’s new.
If you would like to make a contribution, please visit our Donate page. Thank you!
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