Mission, Vision, Values

Our Mission: Creating a supportive and inclusive Ontario for autism

Our Vision: Best Life, Better World, Making Autism Matter!

We’re in a time of transition at Autism Ontario. As the needs of autistic Ontarians and their families, caregivers, teachers, and service workers evolve, so must we. To help guide us through the changes, we created a new set of values. The values we’ve uncovered spell CARE, which encompasses what we stand for and how we strive to operate.

CARE Values

Collaboration: We believe in the power of working side by side with individuals, families, and communities to make informed choices about autism.

Accountability: We hold ourselves and others responsible for achieving successful outcomes through high standards of integrity and fiscal responsibility.

Respect: We value equity, diversity, and inclusion, and we listen to understand.

Evidence-Informed: We use and create knowledge to guide our decisions and work.

Inclusion is a practice woven throughout Autism Ontario. It is a practice we have long advocated for within the autism community, as autistic people and their families are often excluded, judged, ignored, or intentionally harmed. Inclusion must also extend beyond autism towards intersecting communities of race, religion, ethnicity, gender-identity, sexual orientation, and more. No matter how it changes, grows, and takes shape, inclusion makes space; hate does not.

Autism Ontario is against all manifestations of hate in our communities. Recent events have demonstrated that there is still much work to be done to create equitable, inclusive, and safe communities. We must do better in holding each other accountable in public and private spaces. We must do better in disrupting damaging stereotypes and discriminatory narratives. And we must do better in dismantling systems of oppression for all.

Autism Ontario is committed to connecting with diverse communities, meeting them where they are and critically reflecting on our own practices. We will continue to offer culturally relevant workshops, events, support groups, and webinars that are only possible through the meaningful partnerships with grassroots organizations and leaders who are steadfast in lifting their communities. 

As members of the compassionate and inclusive society we wish to create, we will continue to listen, learn, and make space for open dialogue and diverse perspectives.