Events

On Asperger’s & Gender

Regular Square Peg Society Meeting : Nicole Jinn to present on Asperger's & Gender Location : VanCity South Burnaby Branch,  5064 Kingsway, Burnaby

 

Meeting:  September 15, 2016  Nicole Jinn, Victor Toh, Talie

 This meeting was an opportunity for SPS members to speak about their interests and experiences. We had three speakers – Nicole Jinn, who spoke from her experience, about advocacy and gender imbalance, and employment issues; Victor Toh, who spoke about his business, “Capability Club”, providing life skills training for ASD children;  and Talie, who spoke about her Autism 30 podcasts project. Nicole Jinn,  Advocacy for Adults with ASD and Gender Imbalance During her research, Nicole approached both the Ministry of…

 

Meeting: July 22, 2016 Charitable Status, Fundraising & Advocacy

The following Mission Statement was adopted: Who We Are: A non-profit volunteer group supporting atypical & Autism Spectrum post-high school adults and their families. Our goal is independence for our supported adults; therefore, our focus is on the following issues as key to achieving this goal: Employment, Post-Secondary Education, Housing, Finances, and Life & Social Skills. What We Offer: Information dissemination pertaining to the above issues. Emotional support for our individuals & families. Alliances with funded service agencies, who may…

 

Meeting, June 16, 2016: Workplace Safety & Employment Standards

Speaker: Matthew Bowcott from WorkSafe BC spoke about his workplace accident and his lessons learned the hard way -  The Matthew Bowcott Story (YouTube) and through a Quiz we explored the Employment Standards Act. For more information about the Act: https://www.labour.gov.bc.ca/esb/igm/igm-toc.htm          

 

Of Interest

May 19, 2016 Meeting: Finances 101

Our speakers, from VanCity, Monina Selga and Edi Soehardi, of VanCity, spoke to our group about monthly management of our finances and about how to improve our financial well-being  over the long term.This meeting was intended primarily for our young people, and covered the basics of spending within our income, making wise choices with our money, credit card management, and record keeping methods. The more our youth learn now about managing their financial affairs, the more capable they will be…

 

February 18, 2016, Meeting: The Ready, Willing & Able Employment Initiative

The Ready, Willing & Able Employment Initiative (RWA), in BC, is being hosted by the Pacific Autism Family Centre and Inclusion BC.  Jenna Christianson-Barker, is the Director of Adult Programs at Pacific Autism Family Centre; her role within RWA is to oversee the positions of Anjela Godber, the Autism Outreach Manager, and Stacey Freeman, the Regional Autism Manager.  Stacey will be procuring employers and educating them about working with people on the Spectrum, and Anjela will be interviewing individuals seeking…

 

Of Interest

Sun Run, April 17, 2016

  Congrats to Nima, who ran in a blistering time of 43:12! A respectable finish for all - Fred, 51:27; Mahmoud, 53:20; Sam, 1:05 18; Joette, 1:06; Aaron, 1:06 55; Laya, 1:18 21; Sue, 1:22 26; Alex, 1:25 42; Janet, 1:45 47; Janet W, 1:47 31.

 

Meeting: April 21, 2016 Community Living BC Funding Eligibility Criteria

Our speaker was Douglas Lee, a clinical behavioral psychologist, the Clinical Director at Behavioural Solutions Inc., who as part of his practice, also conducts eligibility assessments for Community Living BC (CLBC). Dr. Lee played a crucial role in developing the eligibility criteria for Community Living BC (CLBC) programs; he was on committees which established the current eligibility requirements that now apply to Developmental Disability, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Disorder (FASD), and Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD), which includes Asperger’s.  Since the inception…

 

Of Interest

March 17, 2016 Meeting: Legal & Financial Planning

Halldor K Bjarnason – Access Law Group Barrister and Solicitor Specializing in Disability Trust Planning, [email protected]  604.697.0231 Tina Cheung – Vancity Wealth Planner Sonesh Chikhlia – Vancity Wealth Planner   Registered Disability Savings Plan Tina Cheung spoke briefly on the federal Registered Disability Savings Plans. RDSPs can be established for your individual with a disability at several Canadian banks, including VanCity. To be eligible the supported individual: must be eligible for the Disability Tax Credit must have a valid Social…

 

Of Interest

January 9, 2016 Housing Workshop: Howard Staples, Facilitator

Inclusive Housing Workshop, hosted jointly by VPTG & BACI Howard Staples, Facilitator   On January 9, 2016 we (Joette, Louvain, Laya and Mahmoud) joined a workshop entitled “Building Intentional Housing Communities” organized by the Burnaby Association for Community Inclusion (BACI) and Vancouver Parents Transition Group (VPTG). Most of the parents participating in this roundtable have an adult relative (20-45 years) with special needs. These parents feel that supported co-housing would offer their youth independence & dignity, while, at the same…

 

Of Interest

January 7, 2016 Meeting: Planning 2016

This was a meeting to plan, for each of us to express our interests, focus, and roles for our group moving forward into 2016. We noted that we need to augment our membership; this is important for the following reasons: • To meet the need for support for this generally unsupported group of transitioning youth. • To effectively advocate for government & other institutional policy changes that would support our youth. • To achieve the “critical mass” needed to justify…

 

November 26, 2015 Meeting: InclusionWorks Family Collectives

InclusionWorks! Family Collectives Presented by Catriona Johnson Catriona is the lead for the family-governed InclusionWorks! Saanich, is a resource parent for the Family Support Institute, and is the co-facilitator of Second Wave, a group of families & professionals exploring promising practices for supporting young adults.  She also worked with the US Senate Committee on Disability & Health legislation. She has a Master’s degree in Special Education from Johns Hopkins University, and is currently completing a Doctorate in Disability Policy and…

 

Of Interest

October 29, 2015 Meeting: Social Circles

Building a “Good Life” through Social Relationship Circles In building the notes for this meeting, I drew heavily on the excellent work done by PLAN: Safe and Secure, Seven Steps on the Path to a Good Life for People with Disabilities, Al Etmanski with Jack Collins and Vickie Cammack, and Friends & Inclusion, Five Approaches to Building Relationships, Peggy Hutchison & John Lord with Karen Lord. Many thanks to them for their clear thinking and caring hearts!   -Joette (Throughout…

 

Of Interest

July 30, 2015 Meeting: Landmark Forum

Collette Millar, Western Canada Registration Manager for the Landmark Forum, presented “ A Special Introduction to the Landmark Forum” to The Square Peg Society young adult members and their families. It was a fun-filled evening that provided an opportunity to make a difference in each and everyone’s life. The Introduction to the Landmark Forum was a 3 hour working session.  During the first half of the evening, Square Peg Society members were offered the opportunity to create a possibility in…

 

Of Interest

Event time is in Vancouver BC time.