There was a nice turnout to witness the installation of Pallet’able Art by the Town of Greater Napanee.
This project was a collaboration with Community Living Lennox & Addington aimed to raise awareness of disability inclusion within our community. “Inspiring Possibilities” was sponsored and commissioned by CLLA, staff and clients.
“Inspiring Possibilities”
Autism Network LAC – LACAN commissioned the talented Barbara Andrea Grawberger to bring “Inclusion” to fruition.
“Inclusion”
It was an honour to have Tim Nimigan’s knowledge and experience with the Celebrating Arts and Culture of Napanee, to honour this piece.
Visit the Town of Greater Napanee to see more Pallet’able Art and the artists description of this amazing piece.
Lee Cowling has graciously joined our efforts to spread awareness of inclusion in her field of work and our communities.
She lives in Harrowsmith, which is an area we cover in Lennox & Addington County.
Lee is an experienced professional in the healthcare community. Some might even call her an expert in critical care, which is a specialized area of nursing.
Lee has travelled to the United States on a special work visa, spending two years of her career in a trauma hospital located in St. Petersburg, FL.
More recently, Lee held an important role with Trillium (Organ Donation Donor Team) where she experienced grief, tragedy and loss regularly.
She has provided compassion and kindness to many families during the challenging journey of organ donation.
We have no doubt Lee is perfect for a seat on our board to assist us to fulfill our vision of advocating for acceptance and inclusion in our community.
Autism Network LAC is honoured to have Lee’s skill-set, healthcare perspective and integrity on the board.
Please join us in welcoming Lee.
Lee Cowling BIO:
Board Member – Director
Hello! My name is Lee, I’ve been selected for a position, on the board of directors with Autism Network LAC – LACAN as a healthcare professional.
I have been in the healthcare field for the past 20 years. During this time I have seen diversity and with that the knowledge of how important educating our community of different challenges many families face daily. How to be an inclusive; family member, friend, co-worker or neighbour.
Someone close to me lives on the autism spectrum and has given me many reasons to be passionate about advocating for acceptance and inclusion.
I’m looking forward to bringing a voice as a healthcare professional to encourage inclusion now and for our future generations!
Autism Network LAC is thrilled to have received Mr. Randy Cook’s certificate of completion of the Autism Awareness for First Responders Course.
This course is provided free through the CAN (Canucks Autism Network) that we have been networking with the provide a more inclusive community to all with exceptionalities.
Public Education performs the following functions:
Developing and delivering Fire Safety Programs for our residents;
Actively participating with special interest groups, schools and clubs;
Public awareness for emergency preparedness;
Work with local media to promote education events and programs.
Follow Greater Napanee Emergency Services on Twitter @NapEmergServ for fire safety tips, as well as community and department events.
Programs offered by Greater Napanee Emergency Services:
Fire Safety for Children
Fire Safety for Seniors
Fire Safety for Families
Smoke Alarms
Carbon Monoxide Alarms
Fire Prevention Week
Emergency Preparedness Week
If your family or group would like to arrange a visit from the Fire Services, or set up a station tour, you can contact us during regular business hours, Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 4:30pm.
View complete Board of Director list by clicking above link. 👆🏻
Please join us in welcoming our newest member to the LACAN board of directors. LACAN is a full volunteer board aimed to assist our community and promote inclusion for everyone.
Lindsay Walsh, Board Member
Hi everyone, my name is Lindsay I’ve accepted a position on the LACAN diverse board of directors.
My son is neurotypical, his name is Archer. We love our boxer named Lyric. Our family has friends of all different abilities and backgrounds. I am dedicated to being an inclusive family as well as a supportive source for our neurodivergent friends.
The decision to accept this diversity position on the LACAN board is an honour. I am delighted to assist in spreading awareness surrounding social inclusion, to teach our children to be good advocates as well as good friends!
Inclusion starts young, it’s learned – we can all be good teachers. Let’s help our youth understand that it’s ok to be different!
View complete Board of Director list by clicking above link. 👆🏻
Director/Associate Member
Ashley is a self-advocate and identifies as neurodiverse. LACAN is thrilled to have her voice on the board of directors.
Ashley gained a great amount of inspiration while being an older sibling to Avery who is diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.
When growing up, Ashley sensed she was different from her peers, always seeking a real connection and not really sure how to make it happen on her own. She suffered in silence for many years, not understanding what others were laughing and joking about, which was usually aimed towards her and being bullied most of her academic life.
Ashley enjoys artistic work as well as technology. These activities/work help her to reduce the stress and anxiety of social sensory input throughout her day.
After falling through the cracks of a system not built for her, Ashley hopes to continue her education and learning about disability studies and be an advocate for change.
Fourteenth annual World Autism Awareness Day is April 2, 2021. Communities around the world come together on April 2nd to recognize autistic individuals and those who love and support them.
Celebrate differences
World Autism Awareness Day spotlights hurdles autistic individuals and others living with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) face daily. As a growing global healthdisorder it’s increasingly gaining more exposure in the press.
ASD is a neurological disorder that has been steadily been gaining more understanding globally. This important day of recognition aims to further increase and develop world knowledge of children and adults on theautism spectrum. World Autism Awareness Day is a day to celebrate the talents of autistic individuals, while focussing on embracing and welcoming these diverse skills everyday.
Please share this short animated video to educate those you around you to understand some of the differences people face all around us everyday.
AMAZING THINGS HAPPEN –Alexander Amelines. (Autism explanation animated 4 minutes)
Autism Network LAC would like to take this opportunity to thank you for taking the time to learn more about autism and by doing this it will hopefully create a more inclusive world for those we love and care about.
Thank you Jamie&Jaclyn’s No Frills Napanee for their generous donation to the farm. As well as Milk And Cookies Cafe for donating 60 Alpaca rainbow cookies as a gift for those visiting the farm this date.
Jamie & Jaclyn’s No Frills, Napanee
This event was such a hit! Beautiful people coming together to enjoy a fantastic day.
Awareness efforts to support ASD in our local community of Napanee, Ontario.
Signage for “child with autism” was installed on our street to assist in raising awareness to local traffic. Aimed to caution drivers to take extra caution, as some children living on the autism spectrum do not recognize road dangers or road safety as easily as quickly as others.
I have been working with the Town of Greater Napanee roads department, and Marg Isbester – Mayor of Greater Napanee in advocating for this important sign in hopes to generate ASD awareness in our neighbourhood.
This is the face of a determined Mom, taking necessary steps to ensure the safety of her child who struggles with awareness of road safety.
This is what advocacy looks like. It takes time, patience and a whole lot of faith in your community.
I’d like to share my excitement with this gesture of inclusion, it has made an impact in my life. Thank you to everyone involved to make this happen.
Here’s what Jocelyn had to say about her experience during a visit to Hickory Lane Alpacas on October 25, 2020:
“I has so much fun participating in the sunset yoga at Hickory Lane Alpacas last weekend. I felt so relaxed on the farm, it was so quiet, peaceful and the animals had this calming effect on me. There were many different animals there including: a horse, alpacas, pigs and almost every type of bird I could imagine.
I was allowed to pet and feed the alpacas and hold a baby goat! An interesting fact about the farm, is that each alpaca has a unique haircut to match their personality. This made me smile the entire time I was there.
I really believe everyone should experience this hidden gem in our community.”
*Hickory Lane Alpacas, admission is free, however, they do accept friendly donations.
To assist us with spacing and numbers feel free to RSVP by email at: mailto:lac.autismnetwork@gmail.com or check “going” on the event page.
LACAN welcomes Sarah Fisher, Director/Associate as newest Member
Sarah has been involved with the community for a number of years and we are very excited to have her knowledge, experience and positive attitude with us at LACAN. Please join us in welcoming Sarah to our team.
“My name is Sarah Fisher, I reside in the Town of Greater Napanee. My son is 15 years old and he lives on the autism spectrum.
Our journey has been adventurous in getting to where we are today. We look forward to sharing our experiences with you, and the network to help advocate for positive change in our community.
We were given an opportunity to work with Queen’s Psychology Clinic, who are remarkable in advocating for kiddos on the spectrum. The continous gratitude we feel has no words.
For 15 years I have worked with the vulnerable persons population. My career blends well with our personal values and ethics. Not only as a family, as an individual.
Today I am pleased to announce my partnership with LACAN as we advocate in commitment to educate the community about autism and those on the spectrum.
Looking forward to joining our community in neurodiversity.”
This year was the Second Annual Autism Awareness Month the Town of Greater Napanee has supported. Our community has raised the bar of awareness for ASD.
We observed diversity supporting posters, blue lightbulbs, radio announcements and social media postings from you–all in the community.
The first step is to be aware the second step is to understand. Understanding leads to education and inclusion.
LACAN’s awareness campaign has begun to shine a light on a spectrum that lives right here in our town.
Check out the most recent article in the local newspaper The Napanee Beaver.
We are so proud of the success in raising enough funds to go towards an inclusion project for the community.
We have been so fortunate to partner with Community Living Lennox and Addington on this project. Barb Fabius has many years of experience to help us get this project right. We couldn’t be more pleased to have their support.
