Life with Autism & an Ileostomy

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 

This is what shopping at many places with my son looks like (see pictures below). We can only buy what will fit in the cart with him. He cannot walk alongside me because he may elope, become unsafe, touch others or fall over an obstacle that he does not see.

I know some people will see this and say just go to the store without him. Sometimes I have to because I need a lot of items or have to buy something that is big and there will be no room in the cart for him.

This is what it boils down too….

My son deserves to go out into the community.

He deserves to go to stores.

He deserves to pick out toys and presents for others.

He deserves to have a happy and fulfilling life which doesn’t include being stuck at home because he doesn’t fit into this world. 

 He does belong.

At the very least, I will always ensure he knows he belongs wherever I am.

It’s not his fault that he is autistic and has challenges around shopping.

It’s not his fault that many of our systems and organizations are built on the premise that people are more similar than different.

It’s not his fault that many stores don’t offer accessible shopping for individuals with disabilities.

Yet, he feels it.

We feel it.

This is why we have been fighting for a Caroline's Cart at many of our local stores for almost two years now. A Caroline's cart has a seat which allows your loved one to be safe and secure. It also has additional room for your purchases (see picture below).

My son deserves better and so do many others.

We will continue to fight for accessible shopping for all. 

The petition can be found HERE 

UPDATE 

We are so pleased that our advocacy has been successful! A Caroline's Cart has arrived at both our local Walmart and Costco!!!!

Thank you to everyone who supported our petition and our efforts to advocate for these carts in our local area. 

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. 

I would love to see more communication boards in my local area and I will be advocating for them in 2023.