Jenn is the mother of 2 autistic children. Her older child was diagnosed at age 3 in the US, and her younger one diagnosed at age 5 in Canada. For the past decade since Immigration, Jenn has been focused on Individualized, evidence-based therapies for both kids in both public and independent schooling. Her advocacy background includes meeting with MLA's, organizing protests, letter writing campaigns, public speaking, media and social media, and experience with the BC Human Rights Tribunal. Jenn is also one of the co-creators of BCEdAccess' Exclusion Tracker, which is for parents to report when their disabled children are denied an equitable education. She is particularly passionate about the different legal protections and services between the two countries, and the implications that has for the long-term prospects of  Canadian children. Her current focus is parents with newly-diagnosed children, and has made it a personal goal to "meet these parents where they are at", connect and educate them on their rights.

Sara is a single mom whose son was diagnosed as Autistic at the age of 4. She immigrated to Canada 2018, and as a newcomer, she quickly got her son's diagnosis and started a home-based ABA program. Soon after that, she was able to get his school onboard to ensure a consistent teaching approach was used.
Sara is a natural helper and connected within the Persian community. She created a Telegram group for Farsi-speaking families with autistic children and has volunteered many hours helping families. Sara is happy to have the opportunity to expand her skills and to be more available to parents in need of support!

Deepika is the mother of three children. Her youngest was diagnosed with Autism at age 3. She runs a successful ABA program for her son both at school and at home. She is passionate about educating and supporting parents with new diagnoses. She truly believes that parents are the best advocates for their children, so educating and supporting the parents is pivotal. She is a Freelance Makeup Artist and also an experienced BI. She loves spending time outdoors with family and singing.

Vanessa lives with her husband Ryan, and two children on Vancouver Island.  She worked in management at the RCMP before leaving work to focus on her children’s home-based ABA programs and schooling. She has become as strong advocate for equitable education for children with disabilities.  She has also provided a well-informed indigenous perspective in our communication with MCFD regarding the claw-back of Individualized Funding.  “To this day there is still significant prejudice, racism and discrimination and I try to find a balance between the past, present, and future and discovery, healing and advocacy.”

Jason became an activist on a national level when he went to his MP to ask for a National Autism Strategy and Medicare of Autism.  He later joined the Autism Support Network where he is very helpful with advocacy issues and legal documentation for the organization.

Louise is a registered social worker and parent of two teenage children. Since her son was diagnosed with autism at the age of 2, she has been actively involved in the autism community and was a founding member of the Autism Support Network. Within the ASN, Louise does a great deal of volunteer outreach work with parents in crisis. Louise was also a member of the Pacific Autism Family Network steering committee.

Lola is a mum to 2 boys in Vancouver. She is passionate about school advocacy for children on the spectrum, equitable access to education, as well as helping parents with evidence-based therapies. They enjoy being outdoors, whether it’s snowboarding in the winter, paddleboarding in the summer, or hiking year round in our local mountains