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As we continue to celebrate Donor Appreciation Month at Canucks Autism Network (CAN), we want to recognize Vancouver International Airport (YVR) for their ongoing support.

As a longtime community partner, YVR’s work with us has naturally focused on increasing autism accessibility within their walls. But in recent years, they have expanded their commitment to CAN by dedicating vital funding towards our training initiatives province-wide. This is their story.

For years, CAN & YVR’s Autism Accessibility Tour was a highly-anticipated staple in our event calendar. Held annually from 2014-19, the event provided a simulated travel experience for individuals on the autism spectrum and their families, while introducing them to vital accessibility resources that remain available year-round at YVR.

These events allowed kids, youth and adults to familiarize themselves with the check-in, security screening and boarding process, launching them into a world of air travel possibilities.

“Ensuring the airport is accessible and a place of welcome for all is a top priority at YVR,” said Richard Beed, Vice President of People and Brand at the Vancouver Airport Authority.

Kerry and her son (pictured in 2019) are among hundreds of families who have benefited from CAN & YVR’s annual Autism Accessibility Tours.

As part of the partnership, YVR staff and partners also received valuable autism training.

“The familiarization tours and training sessions have provided an opportunity to educate our teams and partners, share best practices, and learn ways we can support individuals and families based on their needs and preferences,” added Cathy Nyfors, Manager of Passenger Programs at YVR.

Due to COVID-19, we haven’t been able to deliver the tours since 2019. We are hopeful that we will be able to re-introduce the YVR event in the very near future.

But in the absence of the annual tour, YVR has found new ways to broaden their support of CAN.

In recent years, we have been so thankful to see our local airport authority become a key funder. Those involved with the CAN Virtual Challenge will remember YVR as the fundraiser’s presenting sponsor in both 2020 and 2021.

Beyond sponsorship, YVR’s financial support is essential to our Training and Community Engagement initiatives.

After leading by example, they now provide funding to ensure our work with them is duplicated far and wide across BC. Knowing the benefits of the training is what inspired YVR to help fund our efforts to increase accessibility across community settings.

With YVR’s help, CAN provided training to over 40 different organizations in 2021.

Among those who received training in 2021 are North Shore fire fighters, police officers and search & rescue volunteers.

From sports & rec providers to educators to first responders and employers, those efforts have amounted to over 1,000 individuals are now equipped to include individuals on the spectrum in their community spaces.

We are so grateful to have had YVR’s support for over eight years now. At CAN, we believe that every community should take action to include and support autistic individuals. It is only together that we can make real change.

Thank you, YVR!

Learn more

For more info on autism accessibility at YVR, please visit yvr.ca/autism.
For more information on CAN training, please visit canucksautism.ca/training.

Feature stories

Learning to fly ‘without apology’ with YVR
One family’s story from the annual accessibility tour in 2019

North Shore commits to safer community for autism population
An unprecedented partnership with North Vancouver City & District Fire, North Vancouver RCMP & North Shore Rescue

El Santo: Serving up support for CAN and the community
A donor spotlight: Local CAN dad and restaurant owner gives back

Kerry and her husband Ryan have a son with autism and a younger daughter. Last month, her family participated in the 5th Annual CAN & YVR Autism Accessibility Tour.

Held on April 18, the tour is offered to decrease anxiety often associated with air travel. Individuals and families with autism were invited to familiarize themselves with the pre-flight process, including check-in, security, finding their gate and boarding a plane.

In addition to the tour, each individual with autism was given a YVR Resource Kit, which features an activity storybook, step-by-step checklist, airport map, tips for travel and a tote bag to carry each item.

By increasing expectations and providing a simulated airport experience, the goal of the annual event is to build confidence for future travel.

It was Kerry’s first time at a Canucks Autism Network event. That same night, she shared this feedback with us:

***

Yesterday night, I was front-loading my oldest for the tour. He announced: “I don’t want to do it. But I’m ready to do it. I will use my courage.”

To prep himself on the way there,  he requested that we play “Brave” by Sara Bareilles on repeat.

With his visual schedule in hand, he put that song into action at the airport—conquering check-in and security. He fearlessly filed onto the Air Transat Airbus A330, filled with families just like ours.

 

Travelers with autism can obtain the YVR Resource Kit, including the Activity Storybook (pictured above), at any YVR info desk.

 

 

The beautiful thing about this whole experience was that it provided a safe place for nervous fliers and their supporters to just be, without apology.

Meltdowns, earmuffs, iPads, fidgets, and endless questions about every step—it was all okay. There were no dirty looks or hurry-ups, because everybody there just “got it.”

To be honest though—when I signed up for this event, I was thinking mostly of myself. I wanted to have a picture of what traveling with a child who is fearful of crowds, machines, noise, and new things would look like.

And I left with not only that, but also with this sense of feeling deeply loved by countless kind strangers. To the service agents, security and customs officers, airport volunteers, flight attendants, and to the many, many genuinely smiley helpers sporting Canucks Autism Network t-shirts—why do you care about my family so much?

The tour also included an opportunity to sample the YVR Customs Declaration kiosks.

This week, spectrum-related struggles had me feeling extra lost & lonely, and ready to resign from this parenting gig. Tonight felt like the gigantic hug I needed. Thank you Canucks Autism Network and YVR for allowing me and my family to feel seen & safe.

***

We launched this program with YVR in 2014, because we had individuals and families with autism like Kerry’s in mind. Air travel can be a significant challenge for those on the spectrum who have anxiety or sensory sensitivities. But with the correct supports in place, they can accomplish so much.

We have always recognized that the entire family that shares the struggles and successes of an individual with autism. That’s why the tour allowed for the entire immediate family to join in on the experience.

Kerry’s husband & daughter were also able to experience the entire CAN & YVR Autism Accessibility Tour.

The larger the community of support, the better we can all support those on the spectrum. In addition to YVR, this year’s tour was also made possible by collaborations with Air Transat, Canadian Air Transit Security Authority (CATSA), Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and US Customs & Border Protection (CBP).

More CAN Stories

Nearly 200 “Learn to Fly” during YVR Autism Aviation Days

Together with Air North, YVR and Canucks Autism Network are back with our Autism Accessibility Tour

CAN & YVR: Launching a community of support

CAN you help?

2019-04-05 – 2:31 pm

Thank you for the incredible ongoing support! As new followers continue to share the video, we want to address some frequently asked questions.

Q: Why is Canucks Autism Network not donating money?

The purpose of the campaign is not for Canucks Autism Network (CAN) to donate $1 per video share. As a registered charity, CAN is the recipient of donations resulting from the #CANDidYouKnow campaign.

In order to maintain the Surrey Fire Fighters Charitable Society (SCCFS)‘s funding commitments to many other deserving charities, together, we decided to cap their incredibly generous support at $1 for the first 5,000 shares. Since then, four additional organizations have stepped out to match (listed below), bringing the total funds raised to $25,000!

This is a phenomenal contribution to Canucks Autism Network programs, training and awareness initiatives that will have a long-lasting impact across BC. We cannot be more thankful to all who have shared and to all five supporting organizations who have stepped up to donate.

Q: Why are people still re-sharing this to their account?

The goal of this video campaign continues to be for autism awareness and acceptance. Because of you, the video has exceeded expectations. The Surrey Fire Fighters Charitable Society (SCCFS) is also a non-profit organization that makes charitable donations to other organizations in the community, SCCFS have been able to commit $5,000 to Canucks Autism Network and we are very grateful for their support. As a result, additional organizations have stepped up to match their initial donations and have now brought the total funds raised to $25,000.

Q: If I re-share to this my account, will be $1 be donated?

$1 has been donated for the first 25,000 shares across social media channels. Because we have capped the donations, any shares beyond 25,000 will no longer receive a $1 donation. In order for more dollars to count per share, we would require additional donor support. If you would like to help, please contact: connect@canucksautism.ca

Although your share of our video may not result in a $1 donation, the invaluable awareness and acceptance of autism that this video is generating is incredibly invaluable.

Q: I don’t know how to share this video. Can I donate to Canucks Autism Network and/or Surrey Fire Fighters Charitable Society instead?

Certainly!

To donate to Canucks Autism Network, please visit: canucksautism.ca/donate
To donate to Surrey Fire Fighters Charitable Society, please visit: surreyfirefighters.com/donate

2019-04-04 – 4:21 pm

$25,000. Canucks for Kids Fund have officially come onboard to contribute to the #CANDidYouKnow campaign. Thank you!

2019-04-04 – 4:16 pm

Incredible. Our friends at BMO have also donated $5,000, bringing the total of this autism awareness & acceptance campaign to $20,000!

2019-04-04 – 3:17 pm

We are thrilled to announce that Aquilini Development has stepped up to contribute an additional $5,000 to our “Did You Know” campaign! Together with SFFCS and YVR, the total funds raised through supporters sharing our autism awareness and acceptance video is now $15,000!

2019-04-04 – 9:21 am

To all those who have shared and retweeted our “Did You Know?” video on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, THANK YOU for your tremendous support of the cause!

We are overwhelmed by the support and reach of the campaign and are beyond thrilled with the awareness that has resulted from it.

To maintain the ongoing funding commitments of one of our key partners, we have decided to cap the Surrey Fire Fighters Charitable Society (SFFCS) donation at $5,000.

We are thrilled to announce that Vancouver International Airport (YVR) has stepped up to match the $5,000 and support the campaign. Thank you to YVR for being an incredible supporter and partner!

We welcome any other businesses or partners who want to step up and match the funds to support the continued reach of this campaign. Until then, we are immensely grateful to all those who continue to share (despite the funding cap) for the sake of awareness.

We created this video with the hope of raising autism awareness and acceptance, as well as vital funding for our programs, training and awareness initiatives across BC. We could never have anticipated the outpouring of support that we have received since posting across our social media channels on April 2nd.

On behalf of the over 4,700 individuals with autism that have benefited from our programs, THANK YOU for your support! We hope that this video will help create a future where every individual with autism is understood, accepted and supported in all community spaces.

Please email connect@canucksautism.ca if you have any questions or would like to donate to support the cause.

 

 

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