Mind the Gaps: Adapting Employment Support for Autistic Individuals
Online | Online
Led by an Employment Coach with lived experience, this session discusses factors often missing in employment training and supports for Autistic individuals. Learn how to advocate for your clients, family members, or even yourself.
An estimated 50,000* Autistic Canadians come of age each year – and many of them want to work. They have the potential to fill labour gaps in critical industries such as healthcare, trades, and tech**. Traditional workplace or institutional training programs have their own gaps when it comes to supporting Autistic job seekers, however. Led by an Employment Coach with lived experience, this session discusses factors often missing in employment training and supports for Autistic individuals. Learn how to advocate for your clients, family members, or even yourself.
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Presenters
Jennifer Fehr
Jennifer Fehr is an Employment Coach with the Centre for Autism Services Alberta. Her education and 20-year career path have taken her in a couple of different directions: she integrates experience in business, technology, and communications with psychology, autism supports, and trauma-informed care.
She is also late-diagnosed, and she draws on unique insights and lived experience to provide practical tools and accessible resources. In her spare time, she enjoys birding, crafts, and going to drag shows.”
Shannon Nazaruk
- Late-diagnosed Autistic and member of the Métis Nation within Alberta
- Devoted parent with over 15 years of experience navigating health and education systems to advocate for an Autistic child’s needs
- Finds joy in advocacy by sharing personal stories and cultural insights with warmth and authenticity
- Discovering identity and potential through an intersectional identity as an Autistic Métis person
- Focus on promoting awareness and acceptance of Indigenous Autistic identities
- Offers unique perspectives shaped by lived experience, continued learning, and deep community engagement
- Enjoys practicing traditional beadwork and restoring vintage finds – special interests that combine creativity with tech
Moderator: Constance Ohm
Program Coordinator, Centre for Autism Services Alberta
Scroll down below the video for links to resources.
Resources
Websites
- Employment Works | Employment Works
- Inclusive Workplaces Discussion Tool: An Accommodations Checklist for Autistic Employees
- HAPPY Project: Autism Decision-Aid Tool
- Embrace Autism | The ultimate autism resource
- The Inclusive Workplace
- Workplace Strategies for Mental Health
YouTube Channels
- Amythest Schaber – YouTube
- Purple Ella – YouTube
- Brett, The AuDHD Boss – YouTube
- Nathan Selove – YouTube
Books
- What I Mean When I Say I’m Autistic: Unpuzzling a Life on the Autism Spectrum by Annie Kotowicz
- The Canary Code book by Ludmila N. Praslova, PhD
- Unmasking Autism: Discovering the New Faces of Neurodiversity by Devon Price, PhD
Apps
- Goblin Tools
- Habitica – Gamify Your Life
- Finch – Your New Self-Care Best Friend
- MindShift CBT – Free Anxiety Relief App
The Centre for Autism Services Alberta (CFASA)
Website: https://www.centreforautismab.ca
Email: info@centreforautismab.ca
Accessing autism resources can be a challenge, but it’s easier when you have partners and allies by your side. Connect with other parents, caregivers, and professionals in the autism community to share information, advice, and support. Together, we can create a more inclusive and supportive world for individuals with autism and their families.
