1. Dear Minister of ________________,
This letteristo addressthe unmetneedsof adultsnot necessarilyenrolledinpost-secondaryeducation whoare
diagnosedwithAsperger’sdisorderandhighfunctioningautism,henceforthabbreviatedasHFA. Those who have
HFA and are enrolledinpost-secondaryeducationhave accessto more services. AdultswithHFA notenrolledin
post-secondary education continue to be ineligible for the vast majority of services in BC for adults with
developmental disabilities because significant intellectual impairment or language delay is strongly associated
withhow the governmentdefinesautismspectrumdisorder(ASD) – or any developmental disability. One of the
reasonsforwritingthisletteristourge the governmenttoadopta broaderdefinitionof ASD – one that doesnot
require significant intellectual impairment or language delay. Keep in mind as you read the proposed services
below that support groups and employment services are increasing for males, whether in the United States of
Americaorothercountries. Femaleshave beenmarginalized,due tothe lopsidedgenderimbalancein the official
diagnosis. This is a request to promote equality within communities by providing supports to a misunderstood
group. Such equality would yield a political and economic enfranchisement that would benefit greater society,
especially in the form of increased productivity.
● Funding Needed
o For the following services in:
1. Social Skills: this affects every aspect of life, especially employment.
● Speech-Language Pathology - we need more professionals teaching adults with
HFA pragmatics - language use, social aspects of communication (such as the
PEERS social skillsprogram). This is not currently funded by government for the
aforementioned demographic.
● Support groups - relate to peers, empower and encourage each other. Provide
guidance for problem solving. Some support group members might say, “If I’m
around people who are similar to me then I’m less anxious.”
● Professional psychological/emotional support - especially Cognitive Behavioral
Therapy. This is not currently funded by government.
● Consistent social coaching to attend Peer Support Group. Some social skills
groups(e.g., PEERS) require suchcoachingas a prerequisite to for membership.
2. Employment: support to developand maintain relationships with coworkers, navigate
professional social interactions. Various employment services (e.g., posAbilities
Employment Services(http://pesworks.ca/)) could assist with marketing an adult’s skills
to finda job.Whatis mostneedediscontinuedsupportintothe workplace. There are no
available statisticsspecificallyaddressing the unemploymentrate amongadultswithHFA
inCanada,while inothercountries –suchas the UnitedStatesof Americaandthe United
Kingdom – the unemployment rate (for full-time jobs) is 75-85%, and as high as 90%.
I wouldgreatlyappreciatethe opportunitytospeakwithyoufurthertoclarify andexpandon the ideaspresented
in thisletter.Please contactme at 604.363.3266 or nicole.jinn@gmail.com if youhave any questions.Thankyou
for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Nicole Jinn, MA, BSc