For many parents of autistic children, life before the pandemic was challenging. Now we are experiencing a complete change in our lives. Our schedule has changed. Our activities are changed. The people we are used to connecting with aren’t all there. Change is challenging. Significant change is significantly challenging.
Sometimes it helps to talk through the challenges you face with your children with those who have had similar experiences. On May 7th, 2020 at 7:00pm, join myself and Elsbeth Dodman as we present an interactive virtual Ask Autistics session. We too are experiencing this massive change and trying to navigate it in our own lives.
Elsbeth Dodman lives in London Ontario with her family and 2 cats. She graduated from Fanshawe’s Autism Behavioural Sciences course and has an honours degree with UTM and Sheridan College for Fine Arts and Anthropology. Elsbeth was diagnosed Autistic at 14 and has spent 18 years as an Autism advocate giving presentations and working on committees to help raise awareness and acceptance of Autistic people. Elsbeth currently sits on the board for the Ontario Autism Coalition, Bridging the Gap, the Ontario Children’s Advocacy Coalition and her local riding committee. Elsbeth works part time and loves to draw.
Matthew Jason Dever is an autistic adult of 5 children with three on the autism spectrum, living in rural Eastern Ontario. He advocates for inclusion and acceptance of autistic individuals and for autistic people to have their own voice. Matthew is a former member of the Ontario Autism Program Advisory Panel, and current member of the Ontario Autism Program Implementation Working Group. He is Director of Outreach with Autism Advocacy Ontario, founder of Autistic Bridge, a self-advocacy group, a Director with HAACO Ontario, and a leader in the National Disability Strategy movement to build a nation-wide coalition of disability organizations to advocate for meeting all needs of all disabilities at all ages. In his spare time, he is a web and graphic designer.
This panel was recorded and made available here on matthewdever.ca in the very near future!
Leave a Reply