Autism Edmonton

TOMORROW!

☀️ Come outside and try something new!

Special Olympics Alberta, Autism Edmonton, and the Centre for Autism Services Alberta are coming together to host a FREE Outdoor Try It Day!

This fun, family friendly event is an opportunity to explore different sports and activities in a welcoming environment. A variety of multisport partners will be joining us, giving participants of all ages the chance to try something new, get active, and have some fun!

It is also a great opportunity for families and athletes to learn about programs available in the Edmonton area and find out how to get involved in future activities.

💜 All ages are welcome
🏃 Try a variety of sports and activities
🤝 Meet local sport and recreation partners
📅 Learn about future Edmonton area programming
🎟️ FREE to attend

Space is limited, and registration is first come, first served, so make sure to register early!

Come try something new with us!

https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/try-it-day-tickets-2001946826850?aff=ebdsoporgprofile

I’m excited to share that I’ll be joining the National Housing Day Conference, hosted by the Rural Development Network on November 25th, 2026! This virtual event will spotlight innovative housing solutions from across Canada, from tiny homes and co-operative housing to land trusts, modular builds, and creative funding models.

Registration is now open! Don’t miss this chance to explore bold ideas and community-led approaches to the housing crisis.

Register here: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/national-housing-day-2026-tickets-1993923643292

Thinking beyond today. Building a brighter future for generations to come. 🤝

We’re proud to recognize Sorrell Financial as our Reception Sponsor for the Opening Doors for Autism Gala & Auction on October 23, and grateful to have them as part of The Village That Love Built.

For more than 40 years, Sorrell has built trusted relationships through multi-generational strategic advice and a commitment to the people and organizations they work with.

Sorrell’s support helps Autism Edmonton create opportunities for Autistic people and their families today while building a stronger future for generations to come.

Thank you, Sorrell, for standing alongside Autism Edmonton and helping open doors to a future where all Autistic people have a life full of possibilities. 💙

🎟️ Join us for the Gala. https://event.auctria.com/0fce5a17-34af-4e29-abe4-e01797a9ed00/3b8a49575e2d465083b2ed85246cb232

Opening Doors for Autism Gala & Auction
October 23, 2026
Edmonton Convention Centre
5:30–10:00 p.m.

🧠 ADHD Awareness Month

October is ADHD Awareness Month — an opportunity to increase understanding of ADHD and recognize something especially important within the autism community:

Autism and ADHD often overlap.

🇨🇦 Canadian research found that approximately 4 in 10 autistic children and youth aged 5–17 also had an ADHD diagnosis.

For people who are both autistic and ADHD, sometimes referred to as AuDHD, the interaction between the two can shape how they experience everyday life.

Someone may crave routine while also struggling to maintain it. They may become deeply focused on something that interests them while finding it difficult to direct attention elsewhere. Executive functioning, sensory processing, emotional regulation, transitions, communication, and energy levels can all be affected in different ways.

And just as there is no single way to be autistic, there is no single way to have ADHD.

💙 Greater understanding can mean:

• Looking beyond assumptions about what ADHD “looks like”
• Recognizing strengths as well as challenges
• Understanding that behaviour may communicate an unmet need
• Creating environments that offer flexibility and different ways to participate
• Supporting people rather than expecting everyone to think, learn, communicate, or work the same way

At Autism Edmonton, we recognize that autistic people may have many intersecting identities, experiences, and support needs.

This ADHD Awareness Month, let’s keep building understanding of the whole person—because people deserve support that reflects who they actually are.

🔗 Learn more about autism and co-occurring conditions:
https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/autism-spectrum-disorder-asd.html

💼 Disability Employment Awareness Month

October is Disability Employment Awareness Month (DEAM), a time to recognize the skills, talents, and contributions of people with disabilities — and to ask an important question:

What can we do to make our workplaces more accessible and inclusive?

For autistic and other neurodivergent people, meaningful employment can provide more than a paycheque. It can offer purpose, independence, connection, opportunities to develop skills, and the chance to contribute their strengths and perspectives.

But talented people can still encounter barriers before they ever get the opportunity to show what they can do.

Job descriptions, interviews, sensory environments, communication expectations, inflexible workplace practices, and assumptions about what a “good employee” looks like can all create unnecessary barriers.

💙 Neuro-inclusive workplaces can start with practical changes:

• Make job postings and expectations clear and specific
• Offer accessible and flexible interview options
• Consider sensory needs in the workplace
• Communicate expectations clearly
• Ask employees what helps them do their best work
• Provide accommodations without stigma
• Recognize that there is more than one way to communicate, think, learn, and succeed

At Autism Edmonton, we believe inclusion should extend beyond getting someone through the door.

People deserve the opportunity to belong, contribute, develop their careers, and succeed.

This DEAM, employers can take the opportunity to examine their own hiring practices and workplace culture — and identify one change they can make toward becoming more accessible.

🔗 Employment & workplace resources:

Ready, Willing and Able
Resources and support for inclusive employment of autistic people and people with intellectual disabilities
https://readywillingable.ca/

Canadian Association for Supported Employment (CASE)
Resources for job seekers, employers, and employment service providers
https://www.supportedemployment.ca/

ONE WEEK FROM TODAY!

Meet the Facilitator: Shawna J. Serniak

How can the stories we carry, the choices we make, and the values we return to influence our mental health, our relationships, and the way we move through difficult moments?

For our upcoming session, Which Wolf Do You Feed?, we’re pleased to welcome internationally recognized Indigenous speaker, storyteller, and advocate Shawna J. Serniak as our facilitator.

Shawna brings together Indigenous teachings, lived experience, cultural knowledge, and storytelling to create conversations about mental health, resilience, identity, family, and personal growth.

She is the creator of Which Wolf Do You Feed?, a presentation that has reached youth, educators, communities, organizations, and corporate audiences across Canada.

Shawna also brings a deep commitment to advocacy and community action. In 2017, she founded the Every Woman Empowered Endowment Fund, held with the Edmonton Community Foundation, supporting education, advocacy, and community-driven initiatives connected to Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.

Her work has also taken her internationally, including speaking at the Canadian Embassy in Japan during Indigenous Peoples Month in 2025.

🐺 In this session, Shawna will invite participants to explore:

• Mental health through culturally meaningful and stigma-reducing conversations
• How our thoughts, emotions, and behaviours can affect ourselves, our families, and our communities
• Building greater self-awareness and emotional resilience
• Reconnecting with values including love, respect, humility, and honesty
• Making positive choices while navigating adversity and life's challenges
• The traditional story of the two wolves and what it can teach us about the choices we make every day

Rooted in Indigenous teachings, including the Seven Grandfather Teachings, this session creates an opportunity to listen, reflect, connect, and consider a deceptively simple question:

Which wolf do you feed?

Come learn from a facilitator who brings together cultural knowledge, lived experience, storytelling, advocacy, and a powerful ability to connect with people.

🔗 Learn more and register:
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/which-wolf-do-you-feed-tickets-1993551631595

🧡 National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

Today, on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Autism Edmonton joins people across Canada in honouring the children who never returned home, the Survivors of residential schools, their families, and Indigenous communities.

This day is a time to remember the truth of Canada's history, recognize the lasting impacts of residential schools, and reflect on our shared responsibility to advance reconciliation through learning, respect, and meaningful action.

At Autism Edmonton, we recognize that reconciliation also means working to ensure Indigenous autistic children, youth, adults, and families have access to culturally safe, respectful, and neuro-affirming supports. Every person deserves to be seen, heard, and valued, with services that honour both their identity and lived experience.

Today, we encourage our community to:
🧡 Listen to the voices of Survivors and Indigenous communities.
🧡 Learn about the history and ongoing impacts of residential schools.
🧡 Wear orange to honour the children who were taken from their families.
🧡 Commit to actions that build stronger relationships rooted in respect, understanding, and reconciliation.

Reconciliation is not a single day. It is an ongoing commitment to listening, learning, and walking forward together.

TOMORROW!

💰 Building Your Financial Foundation

Do you know which disability-related financial benefits you or your family may be eligible for?

What about the Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP) — how it works, who qualifies, and why the age you open one can make a significant difference?

With the generous support of Manulife, Autism Edmonton is pleased to offer Building Your Financial Foundation, presented in partnership with Centre for Autism Services Alberta and OakTree Wealth Strategies.

This practical learning session will help individuals, families, and caregivers better understand financial supports, government benefits, and opportunities to plan for the future.

Ray Zadrey, CFP®, a Certified Financial Planner, will facilitate the session and specializes in financial planning, government benefits, RDSPs, estate planning, and long-term wealth strategies.

💙 During the session, you'll learn about:

• Disability Tax Credit (DTC)
• Canada Disability Benefit
• CPP Disability
• AISH
• Child Disability Benefit
• RDSP eligibility, grants, bonds, contributions, and withdrawals
• Why starting your financial planning early can make a difference

Ray will also share a real-life case study demonstrating how two families experienced very different financial outcomes simply because they opened their RDSPs at different ages.

📋 Participants will also receive:

✓ RDSP Guide
✓ Government Benefits Checklist
✓ Financial Planning Checklist

Financial planning can feel complicated. This session is about making information clear, practical, and easier to put into action.

A special thank you to Manulife for sponsoring this learning opportunity and helping make accessible financial education available to our community.

🔗 Learn more and register:
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/building-your-financial-foundation-tickets-1998508849768?aff=ebdsoporgprofile