The Re•Storying Autism in Education Project

The Telling Our Stories Project is Hiring!

We are seeking an experienced photovoice facilitator to join the Telling Our Stories team.

Telling Our Stories is a photovoice research project focused on autistic youth thriving and co-design with youth and community partners in and around Sault Ste Marie.

We are looking for a facilitator to join our dynamic team and support photography and visual elements.

Required:
• Experience in photovoice or other storytelling facilitation
• Ready to offer photography tutorials to autistic youth
• A team player
• Experience working with autistic or other marginalized youth (12-25)
• Experience working with diverse communities

Strongly preferred experience and training:
• Training in culturally affirming, decolonizing, disability arts, accessible media and/or social justice approaches
• Experience working on an exciting research team
• Experience working in Northern Ontario

The successful candidate must be available to work in person in Sault Ste Marie, ON, April 2, April 23, May 7, May 21 and June 4, 2026 (if located elsewhere in Ontario, you must be able to travel) and be available for team sessions.

Rate of pay starts at $37/hour and is dependent on experience. Travel will be covered by the project. Some evening or weekend hours are required. Virtual participation is available for team meetings. Hours will vary (anticipated 5-10 average) depending on the needs of the project.

Please contact Project Director Dr. Patty Douglas with a cover letter and CV or resume by March 20, 2026, [email protected].

This project is funded by SSHRC and is a partnership between Queen’s University, Algoma Family Services, Autism Alliance Canada, Autism Ontario, Finding Our Power Together and The Re•Storying Autism Collective.

The Re Storying Autism Collective is recruiting autistic individuals 16 years of age or older to participate in an online exhibit sharing their experiences of k-12 educational assessments or report cards! This study should take approximately 30 minutes.⁠
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Please contact Dr. Patty Douglas [[email protected]] or Haley Clark [[email protected]] for more information!⁠
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Text version: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1iU9Pr8SjgLhJjxdeVNJozii4WzpFQt5FbLWlIL85cto/edit?usp=sharing

I am so excited that our Telling Our Stories team was recently awarded a SSHRC Partnership Development Grant to respond to urgent gaps in autism research and services by working alongside autistic youth and community in Northern Ontario. This participatory Photovoice and co-design project is a partnership between Algoma Family Services, Autism Ontario, Autism Alliance of Canada | Alliance canadienne de l'autisme, Re•Storying Autism Collective, Finding Our Power Together and Queen's University - Faculty of Education. Very excited to be working with these partners (and more to come!) along with the fabulous Nicole Ineese-Nash, Nicole Bobbette and Elizabeth Straus to co-design services that autistic youth desire!

Read about the announcement here:

Telling Our Stories | Faculty of Education Title: Telling Our Stories: A Photovoice Project with Diverse Autistic Youth in Northern Ontario Principal Investigator: Dr. Patty Douglas, Queen’s University

Be sure to check out the Spring 2025 issue of the Register Magazine to read about Neuro-Vibes 2024. The event brought together educators, students, administrators, community members and researchers to explore neurodiversity and expand understandings of neuro-affirming approaches in schools.

https://www.principals.ca/en/resources/Register/OPC-Spring25-Final.pdf

The Re Storying Autism Collective is recruiting autistic individuals 16 years of age or older to participate in an online exhibit sharing their experiences of k-12 educational assessments or report cards! This study should take approximately 30 minutes.

Please contact Dr. Patty Douglas [[email protected]] or Haley Clark [[email protected]] for more information!

Text version: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1iU9Pr8SjgLhJjxdeVNJozii4WzpFQt5FbLWlIL85cto/edit?usp=sharing

Join us on June 10th, 2025, from 5:00–6:30 PM EST for Re•storying Autism's upcoming Knowledge Exchange: “Critical Perspectives on Sexuality, Gender, Autism, and Neurodivergence.” Featuring guest speakers Lindsey Thomson, Dr. Elizabeth Straus, and Dr. Alan Martino, this event will explore the intersections of gender, sexuality, autism, and neurodivergence. Presentations will be followed by a Q&A. Scan the QR code or click the link in our bio to register!



Text version here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nWVg6DjXe0LcSqW3niFaaZDhqzIReZ5Xodzr5dmqfXA/edit?usp=sharing

Douglas and Klar (2019) highlight the role of the mother of a disabled child within a biomedical model to bring forth a challenge to our assumptions around the roles and responsibilities of parents of children with disabilities.

A plain text version is available here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ucyiSiu_citgFZcVWfu6H4Z52dMYUP7u9Ph2C_kKJV8/edit?tab=t.0

Please find this article and more at: https://www.restoryingautism.com/publications

Douglas et al (2021) discuss how we both produce and discipline ‘madness’ and ‘mothering’ in the lives of mothers of disabled children.

Text version: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1sczziD6rAzVtPp9aSGNfSzrhUCjsMY8a4ehdAZJIcy8/edit?usp=sharing

Find this publication and more here: https://www.restoryingautism.com/publications

Runswick-Cole et al. (2024) calls readers to remain sensitive to policy assumptions, promote responsive mental health services, and acknowledge the dis/locations of care and carers' voices.

For a screen reader/text only version of the image, the link is here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jNb-PeyYvZrwdPsicwkTQsFqY6g_e7cbIHoJ3v2qo9s/edit?usp=sharing

Find this publication and more here: https://www.restoryingautism.com/publications

Funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).

This project focuses on decolonizing stories of autism through story making and interviews. To read the full article by Dr. Patty Douglas and Sheryl Peters, see link:https://www.restoryingautism.com/s/Douglas-Peters-2022-wl-PDF.pdf

The link below is a screen reader accessible/text only version of the infographic:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZUCJttUsRdt9idbTJKj3zMBS_pl_-9ywjFxvYqrX0Lg/edit?usp=sharing

To continue to recognize Autism Acceptance month, we have our next infographic below from Gibson and Douglas (2018) entitled Disturbing Behaviours: Ole Ivar Lovaas and the Q***r History of Autism Science.

For a screen reader/text only version of the image, the link is here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hNDRuGcQaOzH4or35GWXqpvW4ZnorNYVtwguAcNJf04/edit?usp=sharing