THUNDER BAY -- The Ontario Autism Coalition is going into 2024 with a new board of directors.
In a release Thursday, the OAC stated that the board is composed of a diverse group of individuals from across Ontario, including parents, allies, self-advocates, and professionals working in the field of autism.
President Alina Cameron said there are two new Northern directors among the 18-member board - Madison Schell from Thunder Bay and Adrianna Atkins from Hearst.
“We were very active politically by having two large events at Queen's Park, where we made it possible for families to talk to MPPs on their turf,” Cameron noted, when asked about the accomplishments of the previous year.
“We helped everyone organize a little bit better internally. We have a structure now and we were able to re-establish communications with the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services. That was really exciting.”
In terms of the goals for 2024, Cameron added there are three main ones.
“We are going to maintain those communications with the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services as well as the Ministry of Education because we have working groups for both.
We're going to have regular surveys that not only measure what is happening with the Ontario Autism Program externally, but we're also going ask people about their experience in trying to access services in Ontario, including the Ontario Autism Program.
“Lastly, we're hoping to dial up the heat a little bit this year and pressure the government a little more. Minister Michael Parsa has been in that seat since March and we haven't seen much movement when it comes to families coming off the waitlist. There's presently over 60,000 children waiting for core services access in Ontario and we need to get that waitlist moving faster.”
Cameron noted that the Executive remains unchanged from 2023.