For years, Rosemary and Xavier Maratta Hervé have worked to improve quality of life for autistic adults in Quebec. Their commitment is anchored in personal experience and in a shared understanding that many autistic adults and their families still lack adapted resources, reliable data, and spaces where their priorities are taken seriously.
They founded Autism House in 2019 to help address these gaps. Rosemary, an occupational therapist with more than 35 years of experience, brings insight into everyday realities faced by autistic adults. Xavier, an entrepreneur and community leader including with the Giant Steps Centre, contributes experience building collective initiatives. Together, they shaped an organization built with autistic adults, supporting self-determination and full participation in community life.
Their collaboration with TACC grew in 2020, as the pandemic intensified challenges across the community. Working with the network, they led a province-wide consultation and survey with autistic adults. For the first time in Quebec, residential needs were documented in a structured way, with findings grounded in living and lived experience.
Members of the Autism House team and board, who shape the organization’s direction through living and lived experience, collaboration, and shared commitment.
What sparked your interest in neurodevelopmental research?
Maratta Hervé: Research is essential for building the future. It provides the scientific base that any sound analysis needs. When we worked with TACC, very little evidence existed on the needs of autistic adults in Quebec.
Thanks to the network’s rigorous work, and to the 400 people who responded to the survey, the landscape has changed. We now have a knowledge base that is indispensable for guiding our actions and decisions.
What motivates your work each day?
Maratta Hervé: We are motivated by autistic individuals. Each person is remarkable, with specific needs but also unique strengths they offer our society. Over the past 25 years, autism prevalence has increased significantly, making this human richness more visible than ever.
We need to welcome this diversity and support each person in expressing their full potential. This belief, and the admiration we have for what people contribute, fuels our commitment every day.
This feature highlights the urgent need for adapted housing options and the importance of lived-experience data in supporting the autonomy of autistic adults. (Production: Aura Strategies) Read more about the project here.
What impact do you hope to have through your work?
Maratta Hervé: Our organization’s first impact is being part of, and contributing to, the vibrant community of autistic people.
Together, our goal is to strengthen the potential and contributions of each person, making sure every voice is heard. With a governance structure where autistic people form the majority, the Autism House deeply reflects its guiding principle: “By Autistic People, For Autistic People.”
Why did you choose to join TACC?
Maratta Hervé: We joined TACC for a simple reason. It is the only partnership in Quebec that brings together multi-university, multidisciplinary researchers fully dedicated to autism research in service of autistic people.
Watch Xavier-Henri Hervé’s participation in a panel on inclusion and accessible environments, presented as part of the TACC Autism Festival in 2024. (Production: Marrone Films) Watch the full event recording here.
Is there something you would like to share with the TACC community?
Maratta Hervé: We continue to collaborate with TACC because this partnership brings what matters most: shared knowledge across our fields and concrete feedback on what we implement on the ground.
A project especially important to us is the creation of a “living lab” to test an intermediate-stay residential model. The goal is to support each person’s potential, involving them and their family in a pathway toward long-term independent living. We believe this type of residence fills a missing step in the housing options needed by many autistic young adults.
Connect with Rosemary and Xavier
If you would like to collaborate, learn more about their projects, or discuss inclusive environments for autistic adults:
Website: lamaisondelautisme.ca
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/maison-de-l-autisme-autism-house
Facebook: www.facebook.com/lamaisondelautismeautismhouse
Email: X@lamaisondelautisme.ca