For more information or to volunteer for this study, please contact student investigator Hannah Stolee at stol6700@mylaurier.ca.
This research has been approved by the Research Ethics Board at Laurier REB #9279.
This research is being conducted by Dr. Nichole Scheerer (Principal Investigator).
You may choose to be interviewed either in person (at Wilfrid Laurier University) or remotely (over Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or the telephone). The interview will take 1-2 hours to complete.
Upon completion, you will receive a $40 gift card to a major food delivery service or food retailer.
If you are interested, eligible & agree to participate, you will be interviewed about your experiences at university, including:
- aspects of university that you found stressful
- how you managed your stress
- any times you experienced burnout at university
- your experiences with sensory processing
The study investigates how autistic students manage stress during their time at university, as well as to understand why some autistic university students experience burnout.
Eligibility criteria: a formal autism diagnosis & attended a Canadian university for at least 6 months in the past 5 years.
📣 Participants needed for a compensated research opportunity! 📣
A Master's student from Wilfrid Laurier University is looking for approximately 20 autistic adults to take part in a qualitative study of factors related to burnout in current and former autistic university students.
French version of the AGM invitation. Blue text reads "Nous vous invitons à NEADS assemblée générale annuelle; le 28 mars 2026; 13h à 14h30 HE; L’inscription est obligatoire". An illustrated female-presenting person with long black hair and blue shirt is on a laptop; the laptop screen shows she is in a virtual meeting with 3 other people.
Joignez-vous pour notre assemblée générale annuelle le 28 mars 2026, de 13 h à 14h30 HE. Cet événement présentera les diverses initiatives entreprises par le conseil d’administration et le personnel de NEADS, et permettra aux membres de la communauté de poser des questions
Inscrire: buff.ly/gW29nti
Blue text reads "You are invited to NEADS ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING - MARCH 28, 2026; 1:00 - 2:30 PM ET; REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED". An illustrated female-presenting person with long black hair and blue shirt is on a laptop; the laptop screen shows she is in a virtual meeting with 3 other people.
(français à suivre) Join us for our Annual General Meeting on March 28, 2026, from 1:00-2:30 pm ET. This event will showcase the various initiatives undertaken by our Board and staff, as well as provide an opportunity for community members to ask questions.
Register here: buff.ly/gW29nti
White text on dark blue background reads "USING AI FOR ACCOMMODATIONS & NAVIGATING DISCLOSURE AT WORK; HANNAH BROWN, PATHWAYS COACH; RACHEL MAISLIN, PATHWAYS COACH; Building Employment Pathways Project; Recordings now available on YouTube". There are headshots of Hannah and Rachel smiling above their names.
Did you miss our Building Pathways to Employment Project workshop in October? Did you know you can watch recordings of the event in both English and French on our YouTube channel?
Watch the workshop and more at buff.ly/Yn0qLme
#Workshop #NEADSPathways #DisabledEmployment #DisabilityInclusion #AI
(3/3) Whether you are a job seeker living with a disability or an employer looking to tap into a talented pool of candidates, CCRW will partner with you to meet your unique needs and help you succeed.
Learn more at ccrw.org
#EmploymentResource #AccessibleEmployment #JobCoaching #DisabilityJustice
(2/3) CCRW offers job search assistance, accommodation assessments, consulting services and workshops. They work closely with employers & community organizations to foster inclusive workplaces by offering services like disability awareness training, wage subsidies and recruitment/onboarding support.
Two spotlights point towards the text "#MYNEADS COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT" in dark blue on a light blue background. At the bottom, two blue hearts hug each other underneath the text "Get to know our NEADS Network!" Centered is the CCRW logo which is purple text that says "CCRW | CCRT" next to a stylized person in a red wheelchair holding up a briefcase.
(1/3) ✨#CommunitySpotlight ✨ This week at NEADS we're spotlighting the Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work (CCRW)!
CCRW is a national not-for-profit organization that exists to promote and support meaningful and equitable employment of persons with disabilities.
Enrolment poster with text on the left side over a dark blue background. Large title in yellow and white reads "LAST CHANCE TO APPLY!" Light blue subtitle reads "FREE CAREER COACHING FOR POST-SECONDARY STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES!" while a white box contains the text "NEW DEADLINE: JANUARY 16TH!" Small yellow text reads "apply now at: breakingitdown.neads.ca". Right side of poster is white with a shaking alarm clock.
‼️Apply now!‼️
Enrolment for the Building Pathways to Employment program has been extended until end of day, January 16th!
With this extension, students can receive up to 15 hours of free, one-on-one job coaching over an 8-week period, ending March 13th.
Learn more and apply at buff.ly/1X5DKpY
(3/3) While our official social media campaign draws to an end today, our CanadaHelps fundraiser has been extended for another 3 weeks.
Visit buff.ly/lFZnHO9 before January 17th to help us reach our goal and welcome the program’s return in Winter 2026. Every dollar helps open doors to education.
(2/3) Each contribution—large or small—has brought us closer to ensuring that students can afford essentials like tuition, therapies, mobility aids, and accessible housing. Through your support, the NEADS Financial Assistance Program provides critical financial relief for students who need it most.
Yellow text on blue background reads "THANK YOU FOR YOUR GENEROSITY; learn more at canadahelps.org". Above the text, a small open palm holds two hearts with a $. Gold foil confetti glitters in the upper corners. A variety of hands are raised along the bottom along with small floating pink hearts.
(1/3) As 2025 comes to a close, we’re reflecting with gratitude on what this community has achieved together. Thanks to your generosity, advocacy, and shares, we’ve raised $670 toward our $20,000 goal.
#FundraisingFriday #ThankYou #CanadaCharity #AccessibilityInAction #FundAccess
(3/3) Organizations like Connor Clark & Lunn Financial Group, Accessible Media Inc. and Canada Post have contributed to this vital program. Join them in building a more accessible future for students across Canada.
To learn more/donate: buff.ly/lFZnHO9
#CorporateGiving #AccessibleEducation
(2/3) You can designate your grant to reflect what matters most to your organization—supporting a student in your geographic area, in your field of work, with a specific disability type, or facing a particular barrier such as food security, housing, or access to assistive technology.
White text on dark blue background reads "The NEADS Financial Assistance Program Needs Your Help", with 'your' emphasized in yellow. In a light blue box, an individual in a wheelchair points up at white text that reads "Your business can be the next to make education accessible". They seems to be wearing medical scrubs with a stethoscope in their pocket and are missing one of their limbs from the knee down. Next to them white text reads "Partner with NEADS to help us remove financial barriers to education." In the header, #FundraisingFriday is white on red with @myNEADS in the opposite corner in white. In the footer, a computer mouse points to a red "DONATE NOW" button next to white text that reads "Help us reach our goal: Together we can make a difference". 'Can' is emphasized in yellow.
(1/3) This #FundraisingFriday, your business or organization could be the next to make education more accessible.
Your business can make a direct impact by sponsoring a $2,000 grant. Each grant helps offset real, disability-related costs so students can stay enrolled and complete their studies.
Large white text on dark blue background reads "The NEADS Financial Assistance Program Needs Your Help"; 'your' is emphasized in yellow. Dark blue text in a light blue box reads "According to past recipients... 76% said the assistance helped them stay enrolled; 96% felt more confident about completing their program; 90% experienced reduced financial stress; 85% reported improved mental health and well-being; 59% were able to reduce work hours while studying; 65% avoided dropping classes due to financial constraints". White text on red reads "Your gift keeps this impact alive." In the header, #FundraisingFriday is white on red with @myNEADS in the opposite corner in white. In the footer, a computer mouse points to a red "DONATE NOW" button next to white text that reads "Help us reach our goal: Together we can make a difference". 'Can' is emphasized in yellow.
It's #FundraisingFriday!
NEADS has awarded over $1.35 million to 745 students with disabilities across Canada. In 2024, a record 910 students applied—proof that the need has never been greater.
Donate at buff.ly/Tt6p2T3 to continue this impact.
#ImpactMatters #SupportDisabledStudents #FundAccess
(4/4) Every dollar brings a student closer to accessibility. Whether your gift covers a bus fare or a month of rent, it becomes part of something bigger—a full $2,000 grant that helps a student keep moving forward towards graduation.
#FundraisingFriday #CollectiveImpact #CommunityGiving #FundAccess
(3/4) $250: a month of groceries for disability-related dietary needs, an ergonomic chair or sit-stand desk
$500: ongoing mental-health counselling
$1,000: one month’s rent in a wheelchair-accessible apartment near campus
$1,500: the purchase/upgrade of a mobility aid, like a wheelchair or walker
(2/4) Here’s what a contribution can mean:
$25: accessible transit to class, field placement, or medical appointment
$50: a pair of noise-cancelling headphones, a month of software, or essential medical supplies
$100: a chiropractic/massage treatment, 1 month home internet, or prescription refill
White title on dark blue background reads "The NEADS Financial Assistance Program Needs Your Help". A large light blue box fills the center, with the dark blue subtitle "Every amount counts: Here's how you can make a difference:". 'Your' and 'you' are emphasized in yellow. A thermometer with only the bottom filled in red measures increasing monetary values. The top is labeled "$1,500" and the bottom "$0" in white. Notches on the thermometer, bottom to top, read "accessible transit to class; 1 month of special software; prescription refill; 1 month groceries for dietary needs; on-going mental health counselling; 1 month rent in an accessible apartment; purchase/upgrade mobility aid". A computer mouse points to red "DONATE NOW" button in the footer, next to white text that reads "Help us reach our goal: Together we can make a difference"; 'can' is emphasized in yellow. Red banner in top left corner reads #FundraisingFriday.
(1/4) Building a $2,000 Grant Together:
Every $2,000 grant begins with many small acts of generosity. You will never meet the other donors whose gifts join yours—but together, you change a student’s semester.
Together, we make access possible.
To learn more or donate, visit: buff.ly/qwr6yWr
(3/3) The project will conclude with a public virtual coffee house and art showcase hosted on Zoom.
For further details and/or to register, please email chloee.godinjacques@neads.ca.
#CallForParticipants #DisabledHousing #HousingPrecarity #DisabledStudents #AccessibleHousing #ArtisticExpression
(2/3) Participants will receive prompts that explore disability & the right to housing and have one month to create an artistic response in any medium. After the creation period, students will reconvene in a facilitated focus group to discuss their process & reflect on the housing issues examined.
Yellow title reads "CALL FOR PARTICIPANTS" with a thin yellow border and dark blue background. Light blue text boxes read "WHO? disabled and neurodivergent post-secondary students & recent graduates; WHAT? 2-month, art-based cohort focused on housing precarity and accessibility barriers; WHERE? participation is entirely online; WHY? raise awareness of disabled students' housing-related experiences and inform future programming & advocacy; WHEN? recruitment is open until Dec 17 at 5:00pm pm PST; QUESTIONS? Email Chloee C. Godin-Jacques at chloee.godinjacques@neads.ca".
(1/3) 📣 Call for participants! 📣
NEADS is currently recruiting disabled and neurodivergent post-secondary students for a 2-month, art-based cohort focused on housing precarity and accessibility barriers.
Recruitment is open until Dec 17 at 5:00 pm PST!
#ResearchStudy #VolunteersNeeded
(4/4) By working together, we can foster a more inclusive, accessible and equitable world. Barriers can be removed, systems can be changed, and voices can be heard. Let this #IDPD2025 be a stepping stone to all that we can achieve together moving forward.
#InclusionForAll #AccessibilityMatters
(3/4) This year's theme, "Fostering disability inclusive societies for advancing social progress", is a reminder to the global community that advancing social development is not possible without the full inclusion, participation, and leadership of persons with disabilities.
(2/4) This day is a reminder that we must work together and educate ourselves so that we may remove barriers and make our world a more inclusive and accessible place for ALL individuals, so that PWD can participate fully and effectively in all areas of social, political, economic, and cultural life.
Dark blue text reads "Celebrate with us... International Day of PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES" over a light blue background. An illustrated crowd of people with various visible and invisible disabilities is assembled in front of abstract yellow hills. Yellow lines and stars frame the top corners. At the center is a blue globe with three raised hands in front of it.
(1/4) Started in 1992 by the United Nations General Assembly, we observe International Day of Persons with Disabilities (#IDPD) on December 3rd to promote the rights and well-being of persons with disabilities (PWD) and to raise awareness of the issues and barriers still faced by PWD today.
