Attention: Parents who have home-based ABA program
Are you looking to hire students to be part of your clinical team? ABACUS has a number of students listed as “Do” providers. Visit ABACUS and click on “Search for Providers”.
www.abacuslist.ca
Summer Camp Relief for Parents
Toronto, July 10, 2007 — At least 647 Ontario children with autism will now be able to attend summer camp.
This morning, Honourable Mary Anne Chambers, Minister of Children and Youth Services announced a total investment of $535,000 to subsidize camp programs and to assist families in paying for one-to-one workers who support their children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) to participate in summer camp programs in communities across Ontario.
Autism Ontario Chapters Will Receive Subsidies To Support Their Established Camp Programs
This summer has been particularly difficult for parents in the Dufferin, Hamilton, Niagara Region, Sarnia, and York Region chapters. While each chapter and its many volunteers work the entire year to raise the necessary funds to operate their summer camps, shortfalls in donations from federal contributions and corporate donations were leading to cutbacks in the number of children that could be served.
For example, Autism Ontario-York Region Chapter’s Camp AOK was planning to greatly reduce the number of children with autism that it could serve.
Paul Kalmykow, Camp AOK Committee Coordinator, said “The shortfalls were leaving us with very few options. For the first time in the program’s 20 years, we were considering cancelling services altogether.”
Upon hearing the news of the subsidy for their Niagara Region Camp Program, Mike Gowan, parent and Niagara Region Chapter President, said, “Last summer we offered placements for 30 children in our summer camps, this year the demand is for 72. This was stretching our budget beyond its limit. With this extra money, we will be able to continue to offer very specialized programs to Niagara’s children with ASD that desperately need summer learning services.”
Subsidies for an Additional 500 Children
In addition to the funding for the six Autism Ontario camp programs, at least 500 Ontario families with a child attending a community summer camp program may apply for reimbursement of up to $585 per child. Reimbursements will be given specifically to pay for one-to-one support workers hired to accompany their child with ASD to a community summer program.
“I have had so many families tell me that while they can often afford the camp fees, paying for a one-to-one support worker for their child is simply prohibitive,” said Deborah Kitchen, parent and Autism Ontario President.
“Without a worker, it is impossible for most children with autism to attend an integrated camp setting and to have a safe and positive learning experience. More often than not, many of our kids end up missing out on social learning from camp experiences because of these extra costs,” Kitchen added.
PARENT INFORMATION
Parents interested in learning more about the 2007 Summer Camp for Children with Autism should visit www.autismontario.com/summercamp program and application details.
Minister of Children & Youth Services, Mary Anne Chambers Leaving Politics
Autism Ontario would like to thank Minister Chambers for her efforts on behalf of children and youth with Autism Spectrum Disorders.
The Toronto Star article about her decision not to run in the upcoming election is here: http://www.thestar.com/article/234628