Ausiris: Social and Professional Integration of Young Autistic Adults Through the Agri-Food Industry

Context

For young autistic adults, access to government and education support programs, training, and mentoring becomes much more limited after they reach 21 years of age. This project seeks to address that gap by exploring agri‑food as a potential environment for social and professional integration. The approach mobilizes all relevant stakeholders in a participatory, co‑constructive process.

To initiate discussion on this issue, the Centre for Social Innovation in Agriculture (CISA) brought together two faculty members from the Specialized Education Techniques program at Cégep de Victoriaville with regional and local partners. The objectives were drawn from two workshops and one‑on‑one consultations with actors, providing a full understanding of the context.

DISCOVER OUR NEW PODCAST SERIES, "GRAVIR SA VIE - THE AUSIRIS PROJECT PODCAST," HIGHLIGHTING DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF THIS INITIATIVE!

Listen and subscribe on your preferred platform: (only available in French)

• BaladoQuébec: https://bit.ly/Gravir-sa-vie_baladoQc
• YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/gravir-sa-vie-Youtube
• Apple Podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/gravir-sa-vie-Apple
• Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/gravir-sa-vie-Spotify

Project Objectives

Can the agri‑food sector serve as a supportive environment for young autistic adults seeking social and professional integration? This action research project tested adapted integration scenarios to identify success factors for short‑ and medium‑term employment.

By engaging participants in tasks across various agri‑food contexts—greenhouses, open fields, retail, family farms, and garden centres—the project supported seven young autistic adults to map challenges and opportunities for meaningful integration.

The overall aim is the co‑construction of an integration framework that meets the needs of autistic individuals while matching the realities of workplaces, opening the way for employment in agri‑food.