About Aspies Inc.

 

Kim Dudek
Founder, Aspies Inc.

This site is about more than just raising awareness of Aspergers Syndrome. It’s about lighting up hearts and minds around the world. It is about giving those with Aspergers hope, and the courage to tell their stories.

Welcome to Aspies Inc. We are a non-for-profit advocacy business based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Kimberly Dudek, BA created this business after seeing the huge gap that exists between those with Aspergers Syndrome and those who do not.

Born in 1979, Kim was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome in 1991. In the process of receiving treatment, she was institutionalized and repeatedly misdiagnosed.

Kim’s academic career was highlighted by her last year in University (BA Anthropology and History), during which she co-chaired the University of Winnipeg’s Inaugural Disability student advisory group and was the Disability Services representative to the University of Winnipeg Student Association. In 2015, she was invited to be on the CBC Radio’s “The Current” to talk about her experiences living with Asperger’s Syndrome.

For the past 17 years Kim has been involved with Folklorama, the world’s oldest and longest-running Multicultural festival, specifically with the Pavilion of Scotland. In 2017, Kim was made Adult Female Ambassador to the Pavilion of Scotland and became a finalist in the 2017–2018 Ambassador General Competition. Her nomination speech, which you can see below, was met with a standing ovation:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MoO-Xd76w-s

Founded in 2015, Aspies Inc. is a non-profit organization based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. At Aspies Inc., we are committed to raising awareness of Asperger’s Syndrome through workshops, speaking engagements, and public presentations. Though our focus is on Asperger’s Syndrome we are also committed to breaking the stigma surrounding Mental Illness and Invisible Disabilities.

At Aspies Inc., we tailor our presentations to meet the needs of our clients. When you book with Aspies Inc., we will meet with you to gain a better understanding of exactly what you would like from the presentation and what area or areas you’d like the presentation to focus on. Then we will customize a presentation specifically to meet those needs.

A presentation with Aspies Inc. is much more than just a PowerPoint show. In addition to a PowerPoint lecture, our presentations may include exercises and Q&A sessions.

At Aspies Inc., we engage our clients in every step of the presentation process. From the initial first meeting to getting their feedback as we design their presentation, we ensure that what we deliver is exactly what our clients request.

Confident, knowledgeable, passionate, open and expressive, Kimberley Dudek speaks from personal experience.  As a person living with Asperger’s Syndrome, Kim is well placed to talk about the challenges faced by people living with this disability. Kim is a dynamic, powerful speaker, whose mix of information and personal experiences gifts her audiences with a greater understanding of the challenges faced by those living with Asperger’s Syndrome.

As a speaker, Kim has presented at both the University of Winnipeg and the University of Manitoba. She was a guest on the CBC Radio One show “The Current” hosted by Anna Maria Tremonti and was a presenter at the 2017 Calgary City Teachers Convention. Kim has done staff training with Connect Employment Services and was a finalist in the 2017 Folklorama Ambassador General Competition.

Meet the Board

 

Kimberley Dudek

Kimberley Dudek

Founder

 

Kimberley Dudek, BA (Hons)

With three misdiagnoses and two year being institutionalized in the Manitoba Adolescent Treatment Centre. Kimberley Dudek is well placed to understand the challenges of living with Aspergers. Diagnosed correctly in 1999, Kim has faced almost insurmountable odds at times throughout her life.

Educated at Shaftesbury High School (Class of 2000), Kim endured consistent bullying, hazing and teasing throughout her High School career. Upon graduation from Shaftesbury, Kim was accepted to the University of Winnipeg. Kim’s seven and a half year University career contained quite a few special moments including:

  • Disability Liaison for the University of Winnipeg Student Association
  • Co-Chair of the inaugural Disability Resource Centre Student Advisory Group
  • Guest Lecturer(Spring 2009) Symbolic Anthropology class
  • Straight A student in 2 classes (Symbolic Anthropology and Material History of Canadian Aboriginal People)

Upon graduation from the University (Class of 2008, BA, Anthropology and History) Kim was subsequently asked back the following year to guest lecture in Doctor George Fulford’s Symbolic Anthropology class, which she had been a straight A student in.

Janine Montgomery

Janine Montgomery

Research

 

Dr. Janine Montgomery, PhD

Dr. Montgomery has a specalized expertise in Social Cognition, Autism spectrum disorders (including Aspergers Syndrome), learning disabilities (including nonverbal learning disabilities), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, knowledge translation, inter-professional practice, school psychology: assessment and intervention, Emotional Intelligence, Mindfulness intervention for youth. Her current research interests examines social cognition (social thinking) in various groups of children, youth, and adults. Her broader research interests are aimed towards gathering information about individuals with social-cognitive deficits in order to 1) better understand individual characteristics and needs and 2) design appropriate strength-based interventions and 3) work to influence practice and policy. Her program of research includes research on autism across the lifespan, examinations of best practices for assessment and intervention, measurement issues pertaining to diagnosis and treatment, diagnostic issues, inter-professional collaboration, prevention of co-morbid disorders, resiliency, and novel intervention programs for social cognition problems.

In addition to the above, Dr. Montgomery’s community work includes work with school, advocacy and service organization, and families with Autism spectrum conditions.  She partners with agencies to deliver research based information in consumer friendly forms, provides consultation, and supports programming for children and adults with autism spectrum conditions.

Jason Dudek

Jason Dudek

Administration, Management

 

Jason Dudek, MSc

Jason Dudek has an MSc from the London School of Economics where he studied agricultural development in Sierra Leone. He has spent the last 10 years travelling to and working in West Africa, where he helped found a new and innovative organization dedicated to community-based, sustainable and locally sensitive development. Jason also has business experience in Canada, the UK and Iraq, co-founding the firm employed by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization to conduct Iraq’s Official Investment Map. He previously chaired one of Canada’s most innovative Foundations, the Catherine Donnelly Foundation, and currently leads the company he co-founded in Sierra Leone, an innovative agri-business which works to help smallholder farmers grow.

Marcel Peloquin

Marcel Peloquin

Research

 

Dr. Marcel PJ Peloquin, PhD, R.D. Psych

Marcel Peloquin is a PhD Candidate in Clinical Psychology at Dalhousie University. He has won numerous awards including the Dalhousie Neurosciences Clinical Citizenship award and provides cognitive and dynamic therapy to adolescents and adults with a wide range of mental health and forensic needs.  He is passionate about student advocacy and teaching, and has provided consultations and workshops to university faculties and students to improve mental health outreach.