The Canadian Academy of Health Sciences has launched two new ways for Autistic people, families, and others who support them to share their views on autism. This input is being gathered as part of an assessment on autism that will consider scientific information and also be informed by a public engagement process.
The two new engagement opportunities include an engagement hub and a series of community conversations.
Engagement hub: This website is for Autistic people, family members, and others who support them including service providers, educators and volunteers. Here you can share your views on autism by:
- Taking a survey.
- Posting ideas about different topics.
- Joining a discussion using the online chat forum.
The hub lets participants contribute at their own pace, in a way that isn’t rushed and at a time that is convenient. It is a good option for people who need assistance to participate.
The engagement hub is open from April 7 to May 31, 2021. Visit the Engagement Hub at https://consultation-en.cahs-acss.ca/
Community conversations: Join others in a live (Zoom) conversation about autism. There are 21 sessions. Each one is designed to meet the needs of different people or organizations, based on their identity or location.
Community conversations are taking place in April and May. Learn more and sign up for the conversation you’re most interested in by visiting https://cahs-acss.ca/community-conversations/.
The Canadian Academy of Health Sciences is also accepting written submissions from stakeholder organizations. The window to make a submission is between February 26 and April 11, 2021. To make a submission, visit https://survey.alchemer-ca.com/s3/50098476/Written-Submissions-Stakeholder-Organizations
These public engagement opportunities were designed with input from many people. This includes Autistic people and their family members, as well as researchers, engagement specialists and others.
Learn more about this public engagement process and how to get involved at https://cahs-acss.ca/engagement-process/.
We thank individuals and organizations for participating in this important initiative. Please contact us if you have questions or feedback at autism@cahs-acss.ca.