> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.co.school/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Helping shape Canada’s National Autism Network - URL: https://www.co.school/work/helping-shape-canadas-national-autism-network/ - Published: 2026-06-02T06:31:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-11T06:45:02.000Z - Description: Community listening sessions with the Canadian autism community - Author: Kevan Gilbert - Tags: Case Studies, Research & storytelling For years, autism advocates in Canada were pushing for a national autism strategy. As that work finally moved forward, the Government of Canada asked three organizations (Autism Alliance of Canada, Pacific Autism Family Network, and Autism Speaks Canada) to work together on a proposal for a new organization: a National Autism Network. The Network would help put the strategy into action and give autistic people and their families an ongoing way to take part in federal policy and programs. These three organizations had not always worked side by side. Now they were being asked to design something new, together, on a short timeline. Before deciding how the Network should be built, they wanted to hear from the community it would serve. ### What we were asked to do In 2024, Co.school was invited to facilitate in-person focus groups in British Columbia, as part of a series of consultations across Canada. Each session brought together groups of people from across the autism community, from caregivers to self-advocates. The questions were set by the project’s steering committee, and focused on the Network itself: who its members should be, how decisions and voting would work, what the board should look like, and how the board and staff should relate. ### How we approached it These were not easy conversations. They were tender: many participants had not been given may opportunities to share their story in a group context. Others were carrying long personal and family histories with autism services, and still others came with strong feelings about what has and hasn’t worked. Our job was to make room for that, while helping the group stay focused on the specific questions in front of them. We worked with the project team to shape the flow of each session, prepared materials, and lead the live sessions. In the room, we paid attention to pacing, offered different ways for people to share, and made sure quieter voices were heard. One recurring challenge was the difference between the strategy (what should be done for Autistic people in Canada) and the Network (the organization that would carry that work). We helped people name their hopes for the strategy, and then bring them back to what those hopes meant for how the Network should be designed. ### What came of it After the sessions, the input was gathered by the project team, where it joined input from other sessions across the country, and informed the overall plan for the network. In September 2024, the Government of Canada released the Framework for Autism in Canada and Canada’s Autism Strategy, and opened the call for organizations to establish the National Autism Network. [Government of Canada launches Framework for Autism in Canada, Canada’s Autism Strategy, and National Autism Network call for applicationsThe Government of Canada is committed to supporting the needs of all persons with disabilities in Canada, including people with neurodevelopmental conditions like autism, and those who care for them.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/78/bc/78bcdb42-e603-41c4-9fc8-2411afdffe5a/content/images/icon/favicon-90fa33de-136f-4a18-8f3c-9bbc4a64307a.ico)Government of CanadaPublic Health Agency of Canada![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/78/bc/78bcdb42-e603-41c4-9fc8-2411afdffe5a/content/images/thumbnail/news-release-en-2f493505-74eb-4f5b-8679-b6bc29630c39.jpg)](https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/news/2024/09/government-of-canada-launches-framework-for-autism-in-canada-canadas-autism-strategy-and-national-autism-network-call-for-applications.html?ref=co.school) The Network has since been established. Our role was a small one beside the people who have led this work for years, but we’re glad to have held the space for the voices in our sessions, to be heard within the process. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/78/bc/78bcdb42-e603-41c4-9fc8-2411afdffe5a/content/images/2026/10/The_Honorable_Minister_Kamal_Khera.jpg) ## **The Honourable Kamal Khera* **Minister of Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities* "In the spirit of 'Nothing without us,' we are working with the autism community to create a strategy that is meeting the diverse needs of the community, which will help to better support and empower Autistic people, their families and caregivers.”