My Life and Jane & Finch:
The Realization of a New Space for the
Neurodivergent Community in Toronto
 
By Julian N. Ciaccia
January 27, 2026
 
The autistic/neurodivergent community faces a great deal of challenges that set back its efforts to better its own situation. Mainstream society often leaves neurodivergent individuals cast out, segregated and even isolated. One problem that has always stuck out to me in my reflections on the status of my community is the topic of authentic community spaces. These are often limited, short on resources, difficult to find, or dominated by ableist interests. Often, members of the community, including myself, have found refuge in other communities. While it is great to be accepted, in the interest of advancing the neurodivergent communities, it is vital that members of the community work to establish sustainable community spaces.
 
However, before we delve further into this story, let me tell you a bit more about myself first. I'm a 24-year-old and currently completing my engineering degree at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU), formerly Ryerson. I love volunteer work, and it is here I often find the true divide in my life. In high school, I was a part of anywhere from seven to twelve clubs at any given time. Even served as vice president of our student council and head of our school's morning radio/television network. For a time, I was also heavily involved in political activism. Holding a variety of positions within my respective party at the youth, campus, and riding levels. Additionally, I have taken on leadership roles in numerous campaigns at all political levels.

Through my volunteer work, I also try to better the situation of my community and advocate for them. By attempting to establish spaces for them. In high school, I founded an autistic students' association, advocated and served as Minister of Autistic Community Development for our student council, mentored autistic individuals, and led all autistic awareness and acceptance month efforts every April. In university, I continued my efforts, serving as the Director of Neurodivergent Affairs of my engineering society's ECI committee, a standing member of TMU Academic Accommodation Support Student Advisory Committee, and President of my university's neurodivergent student group.

Despite all this invested effort, I found it extremely difficult to find a space that truly reflected and was sustainable for me. However, this would change as I would find a group that truly could relate to me and my experiences as an autistic individual. I would find this group in an unlikely place; despite this, I have come to think quite fondly of the area, and even started to personally relate to it.

I was attending an event in the area when I first connected with the wonderful group of locals that I now have the privilege of calling my friends. From eating at restaurants, attending pop-up events, having outdoor movie nights, or just grabbing coffee together at a local cafe, and discussing some of the issues facing the community. Not only has their friendship meant the world to me, but through spending time with them, I have also had the opportunity to explore the Jane and Finch area, gaining a great deal of knowledge about the area, due to our friendship. I learned a lot from them all, not just about the area but also about differing perspectives as well.

It was truly wonderful to find a group where I was accepted and, for once, felt that I truly belonged. I was always accepted for being autistic and was never treated differently by this particular group. In the past, I often had to work to match the societal expectations in order to be fully accepted into those groups. Whereas this group of friends from the area, I never faced that issue, and I thought about this at great length. None of them were neurodivergent, so I knew it wasn't due to anything of that sort, or because we were all from a variety of different backgrounds and upbringings that made us entirely different from one another. The answer had to do with Jane and Finch itself.

Yes, all of us came from very different backgrounds, and while that did influence the inclusive culture of the group, there was another factor beyond that. The Jane and Finch community and the neurodivergent community face very similar issues. Now, these shared items are the result of extremely different circumstances, they do great opportunity for solidarity between them, and possibly even unite. Both communities face a lack of resources, inadequate government support, along with discrimination, stereotypes, and even exclusion in some cases. To go a bit further, both communities also face negative portrayals from statistical data collected. To be honest, I was surprised I did not see the connections before. However, it is those connections that created a great friend group and place of belonging for me that I am very thankful for.

I do believe that the Jane and Finch area could become the site of a central point for the neurodivergent community in Toronto, if not the whole of the GTA. Given other neurodivergent individuals the same inclusive environment I had. The area is already home to a multitude of different communities, resulting in an inclusive and safe environment for the neurodivergent community to thrive, alongside all the others that already co-exist in the area. The area also has many restaurants, cafes and other spaces that, if they were to implement a sensory-friendly environment, could be awesome spots of congregation for members of the neurodivergent community.
 
Furthermore, the many health services in the community could help attach this community by providing mental health services and even general services that are tailored to neurodivergent individuals. There is also still a variety of real estate opportunities in the area to potentially establish community centre points of some type. The best part is that all of this can now be connected together with the new line seven of the TTC. As well as connecting it with the rest of the Toronto transit network, making it possible for members of the community from the rest of the city and even Vaughan to come and enjoy the area. Even bringing those from Mississauga once line five and its future extensions are completed. This new influx of people would greatly benefit the area, bringing new revenue as well as creating the potential for economic expansion with new services, and even adding to the culture of this vibrant area. 

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