Across Canada, autistic adults are ready and eager to contribute — yet far too many remain invisible to employers, society and even themselves in terms of opportunity. Recent data show that only about 33 % of autistic adults aged 20-64 report being employed, compared with roughly 79% of non-disabled peers.
This is the “silent gap” — the years after high school when formal supports fade but the potential remains enormous. Young autistic adults age out of school-based services, move into uncertain territory, and without intentional pathways they risk being unseen, unsupported and under-employed.
Our Giving Tuesday theme — We See You. Do You See Us? — is an invitation and a challenge.
It speaks to recognition and action. At SAAAC, we see autistic adults for their talent, creativity and capacity. We invite our community to see them too — not simply as recipients of services, but as workers, creators, and active participants in work, creativity and community life. This year’s Giving Tuesday is about shifting visibility into value, potential into participation, and isolation into inclusion.
At SAAAC Autism Centre, we’re tackling this gap head-on — creating spaces where autistic adults can continue to grow, learn, and find their place in the world. We do this through three key areas of support:
- Living’N’Learning Adult Day Program, which helps autistic adults build independence, confidence, and everyday life skills.
- Recreational Programming, including fitness and visual arts programs that foster creativity, wellness, and community connection.
- Goodness Gift, our social enterprise that provides employment training and paid work opportunities, helping adults gain purpose and financial independence.
Living’N’Learning: Bridging the Gap
Operating five days a week, our year-found adult day program, Living’N’Learning (LNL), fills the critical space where many autistic adults find themselves: too old for youth supports, yet not ready for full job placement or independent living.
Currently, LNL serves 25 participants annually in a supportive setting where independence, confidence and meaningful routines are cultivated.
The program offers two streams: Fundamental Care (for adults needing higher support) and Empowered Living (for those demonstrating greater independence). Participants move through nine key learning domains:
- Functional Communication
- Daily Living Skills
- Healthy Living & Fitness
- Community Participation & Safety
- Emotional Regulation & Self-Management
- Social Interaction & Relationships
- Technology & Tools
- Executive Functioning & Organization
- Leisure & Creative Expression
The philosophy is simple but powerful: we don’t see “autistic adults needing help”, we see individuals with interests, friendships and agency. LNL is neurodiversity-affirming and strengths-based, offering structure, choice and growth at a pace that honours each person. In the coming year, we’ll be investing in our program through staff training, improving how we track and measure progress, and enhancing sensory-friendly learning environments to sustain high-quality delivery.
Recreation Matters: Healthy Living & Visual Arts
At the SAAAC Autism Centre, we believe recreation is essential to building confidence, connection, and overall well-being. Our recreational programs—Healthy Living and Youth & Adult Foundations Art—offer autistic youth and adults safe, structured spaces to grow, express themselves, and thrive.
The Healthy Living Program supports about 100 autistic youth and young adults each year, along with their caregivers, through a 10-week journey designed to promote active living, healthy eating, and social connection. Led by health and wellness experts, each session blends physical activity with practical learning—like cooking nutritious meals, understanding body awareness, and building positive routines around movement. The program also creates shared experiences for families, helping caregivers build strategies for supporting health and well-being at home.
Our Youth & Adult Foundations Art Program serves approximately 40 autistic artists annually, providing a neuro-affirming space where creativity is used as both self-expression and skill development. Open to participants ages 13–17 and adults seeking continued creative engagement, the program emphasizes predictability, autonomy, and joyful participation. Sessions are adapted to each participant’s sensory and communication needs, reducing anxiety and building comfort through routine and connection.
The goal isn’t to create professional artists—it’s to nurture confidence, emotional regulation, and self-expression in ways that feel authentic and accessible. Art becomes a bridge: a way to communicate when words are hard to find and to celebrate individuality in all its forms.
Together, our recreation programs form an essential part of SAAAC’s continuum of care—where physical wellness, creativity, and connection come together to build happier, healthier lives. Because living fully means more than a job; it means belonging, expression, and the freedom to be yourself.
Goodness Gift
Our social enterprise, Goodness Gift, brings everything together — employment, creativity, and inclusion. It provides autistic and neurodivergent adults with both training and paid work opportunities in a supportive, hands-on environment. Participants are involved in every stage of production: assembling gift boxes, crafting candles and vessels, designing greeting cards, and supporting fulfillment and logistics.
These experiences do more than build technical skills; they build confidence, dignity, and a sense of belonging in the workplace.
In 2024–2025, Goodness Gift has continued to grow in reach and impact:
- 40 individuals developed essential job skills through hands-on, inclusive employment programs.
- 11 youth and adults gained paid employment or internships through community partnerships with organizations such as IKEA, the Toronto Zoo, and other inclusive employers.
- 9 employment partners joined our mission to build workplaces where neurodivergent talent can thrive.
Through Goodness Gift, participants move from potential into productivity, from unseen into seen — proving every day that with the right support, inclusion works.
Your Role in This Change
This Giving Tuesday, your donation helps close the gap — giving autistic adults the supports, skills, and opportunities they need to live with confidence and purpose.
Every contribution helps our programs grow and develop — from daily life and recreation to employment and independence.
This Giving Tuesday and throughout the giving season, please consider making a one-time donation or becoming a monthly donor — your continued support ensures these vital programs can grow year-round.
👉 Donate today to help these programs thrive.
Join us. See them. Support them. Help them thrive.