Ottawa Citizen: Why some Ottawa families continue to face autism stigma, isolation
An Ottawa Citizen profile of a Kanata family raising a child on the autism spectrum, citing End The Wait Ontario data on the scale of the Ontario Autism Program funding gap.
In brief
In short
The Ottawa Citizen profiles a Kanata family navigating autism, school events, and social isolation
The family described support from school staff alongside judgment from some other parents
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The article cites End The Wait Ontario: 91,974 children registered in the OAP and 71,263 without core funding
The article connects the family’s experience to the wider wait for Ontario Autism Program funding
Verified: 2026-08-10Scope: Ontario, Canada
On the record
A regional newsroom puts a human face on the funding gap families have long reported.
Registered
91,974
91,974
Children registered
Total registered in the Ontario Autism Program
Funded
20,711
20,711
Have active funding
Only 22.5% of registered children
Without active agreement
71,263
71,263
Without an active funding agreement
An administrative status; it does not confirm current service delivery.
Reporter Abyssinia Abebe profiled a Kanata family for the Ottawa Citizen. The article describes the planning needed for an after-school event and the family's experience of support from school staff but judgment from some other parents.
It struck me how different the school staff treats us, versus the parents.
The Citizen reports that the family sometimes avoids events when the setting may be overwhelming. Constantineau also described feeling isolated by other parents' reactions when her daughter joined her peers.
A lot of people push for inclusion until behaviours are overwhelming and inconvenient.
The article also includes the view of Emily Jenkinson, an Ottawa educational assistant. She said children learn inclusion by spending time with peers who have different needs.
Then they learn how to interact with them.
End The Wait Ontario in the Story
The funding wait is part of the family's story. The Citizen reports that the family remains on the list for Ontario Autism Program core funding. To show the scale of that wait, the article cited End The Wait Ontario's analysis.
Registrations
The Citizen reported 91,974 children registered across the program's funding streams as of May 2026.
Children Waiting
Current data shows 71,263 registered children without active core funding agreements.
Constantineau told the Citizen that managing the schedules and appointments that come with raising a child with special needs is like a full-time job, one the family carries while they wait for core funding to come through.
This page summarizes the article in End The Wait Ontario's own words, with brief quoted excerpts. Published by the Ottawa Citizen, June 21, 2026, by Abyssinia Abebe. Read the full article on ottawacitizen.com
The Numbers Behind the Story
The figures the Ottawa Citizen cited come from End The Wait Ontario's analysis of OAP registration and funding data, current as of May 13, 2026: 91,974 registered, 71,263 without core funding, and a registration-versus-funding gap that continues to grow. Our Data Hub shows the full picture with interactive charts and FOI source documents.
Spencer Carroll's application to the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario challenges the OAP waitlist as systemic disability discrimination under the Ontario Human Rights Code.
The legal claims in Carroll v. Ontario (HRTO 2025-62264-I) involve specific individual circumstances and are distinct from the general advocacy positions expressed on this website. This case alleges that wait times during documented critical developmental windows may constitute discrimination under Ontario's Human Rights Code.
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Inclusion ends at the funding gap.
91,974 children registered. 71,263 waiting for core funding. 77.5% unfunded.
Ontario Autism Program figures as of May 13, 2026 (MCCSS, released under Freedom of Information to the Ontario Autism Coalition; published in the OAC "OAP At A Glance" update, July 2026)FOI Record
Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services (Ontario), obtained by the Ontario Autism Coalition • FOI record • 2026-05-13
How many children are on the Ontario autism waitlist?
Verified
Latest FOI data shows 91,974 children are registered in the Ontario Autism Program (May 2026), while 22.5% have active funding agreements. [FOI] An active funding agreement does not mean a child is receiving services; it is an administrative status distinct from service delivery. The Ontario Autism Coalition reported in July 2026 that some families in its community had waited more than five years. That report is not a province-wide average. Last verified: 2026-08-10
Source: MCCSS FOI data via Ontario Autism Coalition [OAC] · Open source record
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Facts4
Sources3
91,974
children are registered in the Ontario Autism Program