QuickStart was pleased to hold a rally, Autism on the Hill, in honour of World Autism Awareness Day.
OTTAWA — When he was asked to speak Wednesday at ‘Autism on the Hill’ rally, Conservative MP Mike Lake brought his son along and, like any proud father, bragged of his accomplishments.
Jaden Lake, 17, works at the Edmonton Public Library and takes parts in his high school’s plays.
And like the “One in 88” banner unfurled on the Hill, Jaden has autism.
Lake, MP for the riding of Edmonton-Mill Woods-Beaumont, explained the importance of making sure people on the autism spectrum get the chance to contribute in any way they can to society.
“One of the real blessings I’ve had from my time here is how colleagues from all parties have come together in support of Jaden and I really do feel like Jaden is part of the family for everyone here,” Lake said.
“The big thing that we want to do is to talk about challenges and talk about opportunities.”
The noon-hour event was held in honour of Senator Jim Munson’s Bill S-206, a law which means for the first time Canada will officially recognize World Autism Awareness Day on April 2.
Part of that is the ‘Faces of Autism’ banner organizers unfurled. It features photos of the one in 88 Canadian children, including one in 54 boys, who are on the autism spectrum.
Wednesday’s rally was hosted by QuickStart, an Ottawa organization that promotes early intervention for children who show signs of autism.
Speaking to the crowd of more than 100, QuickStart’s founder and president, Suzanne Jacobson, described her and her family’s journey when she found out her grandson was autistic.
“My grandson was diagnosed six years ago, and he’s the reason QuickStart began,” said Jacobson. “We experienced really long waiting times and we were floundering, we had no idea what to do.
“So here we were concerned about our grandson and our daughter obviously, and son-in-law, and everyone is saying, ‘No don’t worry, don’t worry.’ Then all of a sudden people said, ‘Worry.’
“And then we were left on our own for 10 months trying to figure out what to do while waiting for his assessment and diagnosis.”
After starting speech therapy treatment for grandson, Jacobson says she realized she could afford to pay for the help he needed, but wondered what was happening to other families that couldn’t afford to fund treatment on their own.