Mother of two adult children with special needs. Both my daughters were diagnosed with Autism. The 2 young ladies are on opposite ends of the spectrum. One of them also has a photosensitive seizure disorder. As the girls grew up I have been involved with several organizations. When the girls were young, I helped run the autism parent support group in the Trail/Castlegar area. I have also sat on the Kootenay Society for Community Living Board of Directors ,holding positions of Secretary and then Treasurer. I have also sat on the Kootenay Spectrum Committee which was comprised of parents, health providers and service providers. This committee tried to develop a list of services for families with special needs individuals. As well we tried to determine the best way to disburse this information to families in the West Kootenays. I have acted as coach and Treasurer for Special Olympics-Castlegar. I also was a resource parent for Family Support Institute  (and sat as a member of the Board of Directors). I have always been an advocate for diverse individuals and supporting families as they navigate their life with someone with diverse abilities. My work experience has been Human Resource Officer, Retail Manager, Dining Room Manager, Office Administrator, owned my own bookkeeping business and now I have been with Selkirk College almost 12 years and the Financial Aid Assistant (handling scholarships, bursaries, and student loans).