Title: Telling Our Stories: A Photovoice Project with Diverse Autistic Youth in Northern Ontario
Principal Investigator: Dr. Patty Douglas, Queen’s University
• [Contact: douglas.patricia@queensu.ca]
Start Date: March 2025
Funding and Support: Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Partnership Development Grant (3 years)
Project Summary / Abstract:
Telling Our Stories (TOS) responds to urgent gaps in autism research and services for autistic youth in Northern Ontario where systemic barriers to care are exacerbated by geographic and cultural factors. To address this challenge, TOS brings researchers together with five community partners including Algoma Family Services, Autism Alliance of Canada, Autism Ontario, Finding Our Power Together and the Re•Storying Autism Collective. Through a Photovoice project and co-design approach with autistic youth in Northern Ontario, TOS will co-create new knowledge and resources, centering the experiences of diverse autistic youth and incorporating Indigenous and neurodiversity-affirming approaches that celebrate all bodies and minds, providing a reframing of autism service provision.