Giant Steps partners with St-Hubert restaurants to promote autism inclusivity

by Jordan Stoopler

A multi-faceted pilot project is underway that will see an increased number of autistic employees hired across the St-Hubert restaurant organization, under the leadership of Giant Steps.

The project, funded by Fondation Autiste & majeur to help improve the quality of life of young adults on the autism spectrum, will see a dedicated project manager from Giant Steps work closely with stakeholders throughout Groupe St-Hubert and the St-Hubert Foundation to ensure that they are aware of and are implementing best practices in inclusive hiring.

Several Giant Steps students between the ages of 18 and 21 have already begun work placements that will teach them how to prepare and portion food as well as keep their individual workstations clean.

“It was important to create opportunities for the whole spectrum, whether the individual had past work experience, needed onsite support in the form of job coaching or were further removed from the labour market,” said Andre Pereira, director of marketing and communications at Giant Steps, and project manager of employment initiatives. “The project will culminate with the creation and implementation of an industry-based adult education program at our new Giant Steps centre in September.

Beyond the hiring of autistic individuals, Pereira said St-Hubert restaurants have also committed to instituting a more autism-inclusive guest experience for their customers.

“Whenever meeting with a new employer or partner, our objective is to always try to create a 360-degree, truly inclusive environment, featuring an employment component, but also including an enhanced customer experience for autistic individuals and their families,” said Pereira. “With St-Hubert, we proposed several measures to enhance the restaurant experience, including training of staff on autism, an adapted environment in terms of lighting and music, but also created a sensory bag with sensory tools, noise cancelling headphones, stress balls, a time timer [a tool used to visualize and manage the passage of time] and a communication guide, among other items. On our website, we’ve helped create content to help better prepare for a visit, including visual guides and a virtual visit of a restaurant to highlight common features and help reduce levels of anxiety that may exist before a restaurant visit.”

It marks Giant Steps’ latest partnership with an industry leader, following similar initiatives with Loblaw Companies Ltd. (Maxi and Provigo in Quebec) and Fairmount Hotels, among others, in recent years. There have been hundreds of hires facilitated by Giant Steps through direct partnerships and through the federally-funded Ready, Willing & Able (RWA) employment program, delivered in Quebec by Giant Steps. The employment program helps neurodivergent people access the labour market by educating employers on the business case for inclusive hiring and providing them with access to autistic job seekers. Additional support for the employee in the form of job coaching is also provided by RWA.

“It is about working with industry leaders in all sectors and creating a ripple effect,” said Pereira. “Our view is not just about our students, but about the community. We’re developing these partnerships with major organizations to create a real change and impact throughout the community