Who Do You Advocate For?
Advocacy
We are always interested in collaborating with projects that will increase autism awareness and acceptance and promote inclusion. If you have an upcoming project that you would like us to support or participate, please get in touch!
Areas of interest include:
Increased Accessibility
Mental Health
Supports and Services for Adults
Caroline's Cart
Every family deserves the opportunity to shop with dignity.
For many families of children and adults with disabilities, a regular shopping cart simply isn’t an option. Caroline’s Carts provide a safe, accessible way for individuals with larger support needs to shop alongside their families—making an everyday task possible instead of impossible.
Recognizing this need in our community, we began advocating for Caroline’s Carts in New Brunswick’s major retailers. Through conversations, awareness campaigns, and community support, we helped bring Caroline’s Carts to big box stores across the province, including Costco and Walmart locations. We have also worked to increase awareness of existing carts so families know they are available and retailers understand the importance of maintaining and promoting them.
But our work doesn’t stop here.
Today, we are advocating for every Walmart across Canada to have a Caroline’s Cart. Accessibility should never depend on your postal code. Families shouldn’t have to plan their shopping around which communities have accessible equipment—or avoid shopping altogether because none exists.
One cart may seem like a small change, but for families like ours, it represents inclusion, independence, dignity, and belonging. It sends a powerful message that everyone deserves to participate in everyday life.
Until every family can shop with ease, our advocacy continues.
Caroline’s Carts: Advocacy in Action
Communication Boards
Communication boards help users express their immediate needs and preferences. These boards may increase autonomy by allowing users to make decisions about their own lives, as it allows them to communicate their needs to others more effectively.
Communication boards have not only been shown to be effective at improving language ability in non-verbal persons, and reducing anxiety around communication. They have also been shown to be effective at ensuring higher levels of safety.
There are over 440,000 Canadians who have significant speech, language and communication disabilities that are not caused by significant hearing loss.
They aren’t just beneficial for non-speaking children like my son Stalen, but for many with communication challenges.
We are proud to have helped bring communication boards to parks, schools, and public spaces throughout our local community while also raising awareness about accessible communication around the world. What began as a local advocacy effort has inspired conversations and action far beyond New Brunswick. Through the stories and resources we share, communication boards have since been installed in communities across Canada and the United States, helping more nonspeaking and minimally speaking individuals communicate, connect, and belong.
We believe communication should never be a barrier to inclusion. Every communication board represents another step toward creating communities where everyone has a voice and every person is understood.
Adult Change Tables & Family Washrooms
Personalized service tailored to your unique needs.
Many public places-malls, airports, parks, hospitals, recreational facilities, do not have private, clean and dignified places to change someone over 2.
We need height adjustable adult changing tables installed in public restrooms so that individuals with disabilities, injuries, or medical conditions have a safe, clean, private and dignified place to change undergarments or diapers when out in society.
Many people have to resort to laying their loved one on the dirty restroom floor to change them. This is unsanitary, undignified, and unsafe. Without proper accommodation, people either have to choose to be changed in these conditions, and be exposed to others passing by, or just stay home in seclusion.
We need accessible and inclusive restrooms in public spaces.
Awards & Recognition
Chrystal received the 2026 New Brunswick Provincial award for Disability Awareness Week from the NB Premier's Council on Disabilities.
Stalen received a Certificate of Recognition for making the world a better place by improving access and disability inclusion for people with disabilities from the Rick Hansen Foundation.