Gregory Merilhan is an autistic adult who marked his 40th birthday this year, celebrating at a local restaurant with his family. More than thirty years ago, Gregory attended Autism Ontario’s York Region camp every year until he turned 21, when the organization was known as the Autism Society of Ontario.

“He went every summer for one month,” says his mother, Mary Merilhan. She remembers the camp as an “amazing” experience for him. Mary said her son enjoyed going on outings, swimming, and trampoline sessions. “He just loves being around people. He's so social.”

Along the way, Gregory, who has lived on his own in a three-bedroom apartment with VITA Community Living with two roommates and with 24/7 support since age 18, made some connections that continue to resonate through his life.

Camp provided Gregory with a social group where he could engage with autistic peers. “For us, it was respite,” says Mary, who also had Gregory’s older brother Patrick and sister, Nikki, to look after. “It was necessary because he needs supervision 24-7. So, if I didn't have the camps, I couldn't – it would be very difficult to manage.”

Many of the camp counsellors who worked with Gregory also went forward in the autism community. “I met Gregory in the late 1990s at the Autism Society Kids Camp. I was a counselor and he was a camper, though in truth we were all just buddies – teenagers hanging out together for the summer,” said Kristin Gunby, Behavior Analyst with Autism Ontario. She says they enjoyed outings to Canada’s Wonderland and the Ontario Science Centre together and remembers those times fondly. “He was a wonderful person to share summers with. He is one of those connections you never forget.”

The family’s connection to the camp deepened when both Patrick and Nikki worked as camp counsellors, allowing them to learn more about autism and connect with the campers. At the same time, Mary was able to recruit several of the counsellors to work with Gregory during the school year.

Mary believes that attending Autism Ontario camps set the stage for Gregory’s later success in life. “It would be more difficult because Gregory was used to going on a bus and meeting people, going out with groups. He was so used to going to the camps for those two months.”

These days, Mary is advocating on Gregory’s behalf, trying to get him into a day program to replace the one that was shuttered during the pandemic. “We've had to do paperwork and visit to doctors and, you know, just to try and get him so that so that he could go to arena to their program.”