Host Chapter: Annapolis Valley, Cape Breton Region, Central Office, Cumberland County, Pictou County, South Shore, South West, Truro, Strait Area • Categories: Adults • Virtual Event • Province Wide
Women’s Employment Support Group (WESG)
The Women’s Employment Support Group (WESG) is a virtual, women-centred and gender-diverse employment support space for Autistic individuals of legal working age across Nova Scotia. The group provides a dedicated space for Autistic women and gender-diverse individuals seeking a women-centred environment to connect with others, share lived experiences, and explore employment and workplace topics together. WESG recognizes that gender can shape workplace experiences and creates space for conversations around communication, masking, workplace expectations, accommodations, self-advocacy, burnout, psychological safety, workplace relationships, identity, safety, and belonging. Sessions are conversational and participant-led, with topics shaped by the interests and experiences of those attending. The group is facilitated by an Autistic facilitator. There is no cost to participate, and a formal autism diagnosis is not required.
Age:
Legal working age (16+)
Eligibility:
Autistic women and gender-diverse individuals seeking a women-centred employment support space.
Format:
Virtual — Microsoft Teams
Location:
Province-wide (Nova Scotia)
Cost:
Free
Fall 2026 Schedule:
Biweekly Fridays, 7:00–8:00 p.m. (September–December 2026)
Registration:
Required before attending. To register, please contact the facilitator at esg@autismns.ca.
Additional Information:
WESG is open to Autistic women and gender-diverse individuals of legal working age who are seeking a women-centred employment support space.
Participants may be currently employed, unemployed or looking for work, underemployed, self-employed, returning to employment, exploring career options, considering a career change, or interested in connecting with others around employment and workplace experiences.
You do not need to be currently employed to participate, and a formal autism diagnosis is not required.
WESG conversations are guided by participant interests and lived experiences.
Topics may include:
• Navigating employment as an Autistic woman or gender-diverse person
• Masking and professional expectations
• Workplace communication
• Disclosure and deciding whether to disclose
• Requesting and navigating accommodations
• Workplace relationships
• Self-advocacy
• Confidence and belonging at work
• Sensory needs in the workplace
• Burnout and maintaining wellbeing
• Executive functioning
• Workplace boundaries
• Psychological safety
• Navigating misunderstandings and conflict
• Career transitions
• Interviews and job searching
• Gender-related workplace expectations and experiences
• Finding employment environments that align with individual needs and values
Participants are never expected to discuss personal experiences they would prefer to keep private.
There is no single “right” way to participate in WESG.
You are welcome to engage in whatever way feels most comfortable for you. This may include speaking during discussions, using the Microsoft Teams chat, reacting with emojis, keeping your camera or microphone off, listening without speaking, taking time to reflect before responding, or participating differently from one session to the next.
There is no expectation to contribute verbally, and all forms of participation are valued.
Attendance is flexible. Once registered, you are welcome to join any sessions that fit your schedule, and you do not need to attend every session.
From September through December 2026, the Women’s Employment Support Group will meet biweekly on Fridays from 7:00–8:00 p.m.
Sessions are held virtually through Microsoft Teams.
Registered participants will receive a reminder approximately 24 hours before each session, followed by a day-of-session email containing the Microsoft Teams link.
WESG follows its own biweekly Friday schedule, separate from the Main Employment Support Group.
Registration is required before attending. Please contact the facilitator at esg@autismns.ca to register.
The facilitator will ask for some basic information about your employment interests, participation preferences, and anything that may help make the group more accessible and comfortable for you.
Interested in the Main Employment Support Group?
Autism Nova Scotia also offers the Employment Support Group (ESG), a broader employment-focused peer-support space for Autistic individuals of legal working age.
Participants who are eligible for WESG are welcome to participate in both groups and can attend whichever sessions work best for them.
Learn more about the Employment Support Group: https://www.autismnovascotia.ca/programs/employment-support-group
Contact:
Divya Mehta-Lehn, Employment Support Group Facilitator
esg@autismns.ca ● 902-200-4969
