About Us

About Us

Thanks for checking out our products and considering supporting our work and the folks we care about.   If you have any issues navigating the site, or problems with ordering or with the products you receive, please email spectrumpress@spectrumsociety.org and we'll try to resolve things as quickly as possible.   For more urgent concerns call our office and talk to Judy - 604-323-1433.   She's a pro at resolving problems!   

Expect to receive your products within a month, unless otherwise noted.  Jenny ships once each week unless there is an express order.  All taxes are included.   

Spectrum Press is a social enterprise.   A division of our agency, Spectrum Society, which has supported people with disabilities and multiple challenges in their neighbourhoods around greater Vancouver, British Columbia for almost 25 years.   Social enterprises have a few intentions.   First, we create revenue that furthers the mission of our organization, which is to provide person-centred, individualised supports to those we care about.   Second, we create jobs for people with disabilities, who are our research companions, shippers, receivers, co-presenters and authors or co-authors.   Last year we were able to pay about 40 people between $25 - $600; this year we hope to at least double that amount.   Third, we hope to use our leverage as a best-practice organization to demonstrate to our communities ways in which we can support those we care about as valued citizens who contribute much to our culture.   We do this by conducting research and publishing works that focus on self-determination, networks of support, community building and interdependence, as well as providing workshops and facilitated events.   

At one of our workshops, a young man with Down Syndrome came up.   He was non-verbal and his supporter told us he'd been waiting to see us and had saved money to buy one of our books.   We thanked him, and signed it for him, and he went off to sit with it, carefully turning the pages and looking at the pictures.   He looked at Susan's picture in the back and pointed at her and smiled.   He looked at Aaron's picture and pointed at him and smiled.   He found a drawing he liked, of a young person who did look a bit like him and pointed at it, pointed to himself, smiled and then hugged the book.   Getting a note from someone we've admired in a far-off country to say how much they like our book means something, but that young man keeps us going.  

To learn more about our work, please visit our blog/newsletter at www.101friends.ca or our agency website at www.spectrumsociety.org

We hope to have your order to you within 4 weeks.   While it will probably come sooner, if it's important that you have it earlier please contact us to arrange express shipping.   If you would like your item signed, please let us know in the notes box who to inscribe it to and any particular message you'd like us to send.   We will do our best!   

We hope you enjoy our publications and products - please let us know!   Write spectrumpress@spectrumsociety.org  And if you're in the area, drop by!

 

Thanks!   Aaron, Ernie, Jim, Jenny and Susan