Image Description: The image, taken from an angle, is a gallery-style display on a large black wall featuring a collection of printed photographs and written descriptions arranged in organic rows. At the top center, a title made from cutout text reads "Telling Our Stories," followed by "Autistic Youth" and "Thriving." The display includes images of landscapes, wildlife, city scenes, personal items, and mixed-media collages created with magazine cutouts. Each photo is paired with a printed caption or artist statement mounted beneath it. The photographs are attached with black tape, creating a clean, organized display that highlights the participants' personal interests, experiences, and creative expression.
Telling Our Stories: A Photovoice Project with Diverse Autistic Youth in Northern Ontario (2024-2027) responds to urgent gaps in autism research and services for autistic youth in Northern Ontario and Indigenous communities where systemic barriers to care are exacerbated by geographic and cultural factors. Autistic youth in these regions often face environments where services are limited and culturally incongruent, failing to account for their specific contexts or unique gifts and needs. The result is exclusion and distress for autistic youth, and limited resources for providers.
This project is funded in part by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (grant 890-2024-0164).
Telling Our Stories
A Photovoice Project with Diverse Autistic Youth in Northern Ontario
Thank you to all the makers, facilitators, artists and supporters who made this show possible!
