Working on benefits and respite services

By Elisabeth Prass

Let me begin by wishing you and your children a happy belated World Autism Awareness Day and Month!  

Every child deserves the chance to reach for their highest hopes and fulfill their greatest potential. April is Autism Awareness month, and it gives us the opportunity to reaffirm our support for those on the autism spectrum, and to uphold our obligation to help make sure every child – regardless of ability or background – is accepted for who they are and able to lead a life free from discrimination and filled with opportunity. 

Let us create a future in which no person living with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is limited by anything but the size of their dreams, and one in which all people have the opportunity to live a life filled with a sense of identity, purpose and self-determination. Striving to be an inclusive society, we must support individuals on the autism spectrum and their families, and help shape a world in which people are accepted for who they are.  

As parents, we are preoccupied with the situation our children will find themselves in when they become adults. Regarding the transition period between childhood to adulthood, in July 2022 the CAQ government removed autism as one of the diagnoses that gives eligible people automatic access to Social Solidarity benefits. For many adults living with ASD who are not able to work, these benefits are their only source of income. I recently sponsored a petition on behalf of the Quebec Federation for Autism to ask that ASD and other diagnoses related to mental health be reinstated on that list, to allow those individuals to not have to fight for access to funding.  

As for us parents, respite can be an indispensable resource to allow us to recharge and give us some rare time for ourselves. I questioned the Minister for Social Services in the National Assembly about the fact that last year the CAQ government announced $50 million for respite services, yet a year later Répit Québec reported that over half of their members still had not received any of said funding, and that the average wait time for access to respite services is 317 days. This is completely unacceptable for our families. As waiting lists for respite services increase, access to these services is on the decline. This needs to be a priority if this government truly wants to support parents with a child living with ASD.  

I promise to be your voice at the National Assembly and to hold the government accountable to our kids and families. We are stronger together and I will carry your concerns and needs to the decision makers in Quebec City so that we can work together to achieve the best for our children.  

Please do not hesitate to contact my office if we can provide you with information or be of any help: elisabeth.prass.dmg@assnat. qc.ca or 514.488.7028. 

Elisabeth Prass is MNA for D'Arcy-McGee, Official Opposition Critic for Social Services, Mental Health, for People Living with a Disability or with Autism Spectrum Disorder, and for the Fight Against Homelessness and mom of a wonderful little boy living with ASD.