Artère

What Artère does

Artère (ARTÈRE Québec) is a Quebec City–based non-profit community organization founded in 1985 that promotes, gathers, and supports the community reintegration of stroke survivors and their loved ones in the province of Quebec. Its core mission addresses an addressable population of roughly 6,000 Quebec residents per year who are affected by aphasia following stroke, plus the broader caregiver and clinical community surrounding them. The organization operates with approximately six to seven employees under the direction of Joëlle Duchesne, and is governed as a non-profit funded through membership fees, donations collected via the Zeffy platform, and direct grants from the Foundation ARTÈRE.

Artère's flagship product line is the ACCES program (Accessibilité communicationnelle des commerces pour une équité des services), which trains businesses to be accessible to people with communication disabilities, with a particular focus on aphasia. The program is delivered as three training modules — Formation ACCES – Générale (launched February 2023), Restauration, and Institutions financières (launched January 2025) — and is paired with the Sceau ACCES, a certification seal that businesses display once trained. Training is delivered on a WordPress-based LMS with video content hosted on Vimeo; supporting infrastructure includes Google Analytics, CookieYes, and Zeffy for donation capture. The organization also runs the annual Sommet sur l'AVC, with the 11th edition in November 2022 drawing approximately 400 attendees.

Artère's business model is non-commercial on the beneficiary side — all survivor and caregiver services are free — and quasi-commercial on the training side, where businesses receive paid or sponsored training in exchange for the certification seal. The organization co-constructs its programs with academic partners CIRRIS and Université Laval, holds a formal relationship with OPHQ (Office des personnes handicapées du Québec), and received the Innovation Desjardins 2022 award from the OOAQ (Ordre des orthophonistes et audiologistes du Québec). As of mid-2026, seven businesses carried the Sceau ACCES, including Caisse Desjardins de l'Université Laval as a notable enterprise reference.

Name

Artère

Legal name

ARTÈRE Québec

Website

https://arterequebec.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Artère is a Quebec City–based non-profit founded in 1985 that supports community reintegration for stroke survivors and their families. It runs the ACCES training and Sceau ACCES certification program, which trains businesses to be accessible to people with aphasia and other communication disabilities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Health Services / Stroke Survivor Support

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Disability Services & Independent Living Support (BPAGACAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Disability Services & Assistive Solutions (Accessibility, Assistive Tech) (BPAGALAM), Accessibility, Universal Design for Learning (UDL) & Inclusive Content Services (EDAGAKAJ)

Keywords

• Stroke survivor support
• Aphasia accessibility training
• Caregiver support services
• Community reintegration programs
• Communication accessibility certification

Headquarters

HQ city

Québec

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership fees and donations: Artère collects membership fees and accepts donations through Zeffy platform. The organization operates as a non-profit community organization.
2. Foundation ARTÈRE funding: Separate foundation (Fondation ARTÈRE) that provides funding support to the main organization for research projects and community programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Artère is a Quebec-based non-profit organization that delivers free in-person community programs (stimulation workshops, social activities, individual support, caregiver respite) to stroke survivors and their loved ones. Through its ACCES project, it provides free online training modules and a certification seal to businesses (restaurants, financial institutions) to help them become accessible to people with communication disabilities, particularly aphasia. All offerings are provided at no cost, funded through donations and the affiliated Fondation ARTÈRE.

Product overview

Artère operates the ACCES project, a platform focused on communicational accessibility of businesses for equitable services to people with communication disabilities, particularly aphasia. The core offering consists of free online training modules (Formation ACCES – Générale, Restauration, and Institutions financières) delivered via a WordPress-based platform with Vimeo video integration. The program culminates in the Sceau ACCES accreditation seal for qualifying businesses. Services include stimulation workshops, social activities, individual support, and caregiver support, all aimed at post-stroke rehabilitation and community reintegration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ACCES: A project focused on communication accessibility in businesses for people with communication difficulties, specifically targeting aphasia.

Products and services

• Formation ACCES – Générale Free online training module providing foundational knowledge about aphasia and communication disabilities, with strategies for effective communication. Designed for the general public and customer-facing employees.
• Formation ACCES – Restauration Free specialized online training module for counter-service restaurant employees, teaching about aphasia and communication strategies specific to restaurant service environments.
• Formation ACCES – Institutions financières Free specialized online training module for financial institution employees, teaching about aphasia and communication strategies specific to banking and financial services environments.
• Sceau ACCES
• Ateliers de stimulation (Stimulation workshops)
• Activités sociales (Social activities) Free in-person social activities designed to bring together stroke survivors and caregivers for socialization, mutual support, lived-experience sharing, and mutual aid.
• Services individuels (Individual services) Free personalized one-on-one support sessions tailored to the individual needs of stroke survivors and/or their caregivers.
• Services aux proches aidants (Caregiver support services) Free dedicated programming for caregivers of stroke survivors, including respite services, support groups, and social activities to address caregiver-specific needs.
• L'AVC : Par où commencer ? (Stroke: Where to begin?) Free information and support program on cerebrovascular accident (stroke) designed for stroke survivors and their caregivers, co-constructed with CIRRIS and Université Laval using an evidence-based, co-construction approach.

Quantifiable outcome

• Approximately 6,000 people affected by aphasia annually in Quebec alone
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• CIRRIS (Centre Interdisciplinaire de Recherche en Réadaptation et Intégration Sociale)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCIRRIS collaborated with Artère and Université Laval on the co-construction of the 'L'AVC: Par où commencer?' information and support program. The partnership combines research expertise with community experience to develop evidence-based programs for stroke survivors.
• Université LavalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner providing research and clinical expertise through speech-language pathology program faculty. Team members Annie Légaré, Laura Monetta, Sarah Bérubé-Lalancette hold positions at Université Laval's speech-language pathology program.
• OPHQ (Office des personnes handicapées du Québec)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernmental partner supporting accessibility initiatives. OPHQ is listed as a partner on the ACCES project, providing institutional backing for the accessibility mission.
• JCCQ (Jeune Chambre de commerce de Québec)majorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership during JCCQ's June thematic period on 'Fierté, diversité et inclusion' (Pride, Diversity, and Inclusion). Collaboration to promote business accessibility and inclusion values among young professionals and businesses.
• Les BrûleriesminorOthersLocal business partner supporting the ACCES project as part of the accessibility initiative network.
• FDL Centre CommercialminorOthersCommercial center partner supporting the ACCES accessibility initiative for member businesses.
• Trudel ImmeublesminorOthersReal estate partner providing support for the ACCES project accessibility initiatives.
• AQOA (Association québécoise des orthophonistes et audiologistes)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional association of speech-language pathologists and audiologists. Monica Lavoie, Annie Légaré, and Laura Monetta presented the ACCES project to AQOA members on January 19, 2024, with the conference made available online for free.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Aphasia Institute: Toronto-based non-profit that is the most directly comparable organization to Artère, also focused on supporting people with aphasia through direct programs, training, and community engagement. Both deliver speech-language and communication-accessibility services under similar nonprofit models in Canada.
• March of Dimes Canada (Stroke Recovery Canada): National non-profit whose Stroke Recovery Canada program delivers peer support, education, and community reintegration services to stroke survivors across the country. Operates a similar survivor-caregiver-community model and offers similar workshops, social activities, and information resources.

Others

• Office des personnes handicapées du Québec (OPHQ): Quebec government agency responsible for disability policy and programs. Listed as an ACCES project partner, it does not deliver frontline rehabilitation services but operates in the same accessibility/advocacy ecosystem, providing institutional backing and policy alignment for Artère.
• Association québécoise des orthophonistes et audiologistes (AQOA): Quebec professional association for speech-language pathologists and audiologists. Hosted the ACCES team for a January 2024 conference and serves as a professional-network enabler that channels referrals to Artère's programs.
• Accessibility Standards Canada: Federal regulator developing national accessibility standards, including communication accessibility. Artère has contributed a research report to its consultation process, making this an enabling ecosystem partner rather than a direct competitor.
• CIRRIS (Centre Interdisciplinaire de Recherche en Réadaptation et Intégration Sociale): Université Laval research centre that co-constructs Artère's programs and supplies the academic talent behind ACCES. Functions as a content and evidence enabler rather than a competitor, but its outputs directly shape Artère's evidence base.

Emerging players

• Northwest Aphasia Center (US): US-based aphasia-focused program, comparable in its narrow focus on communication accessibility and aphasia-specific community programming. Operates at smaller scale than Artère's provincial footprint and serves a different geographic market, making it an emerging/regional-comparable peer.

Broad incumbents

• Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada: Large national incumbent focused on cardiovascular disease and stroke through research funding, public education, and advocacy. While its mandate is much broader than Artère's, it serves overlapping stroke survivor populations and competes for the same donation and grant funding.

Regional players

• Fondation des maladies du cœur et de l'AVC du Québec: Quebec affiliate of Heart & Stroke Foundation, serving overlapping beneficiaries in the same geographic market. Comparable as a regional stroke nonprofit, but with a broader cardiovascular remit and much larger budget, positioning it as a regional incumbent competing for donors and visibility.
• Regroupement des organismes de personnes handicapées de la région 03: Quebec City regional umbrella organization representing disability-focused nonprofits in the Capitale-Nationale region. Operates in an adjacent space (cross-disability rather than stroke-specific) and competes for the same pool of donors and government accessibility funding in Quebec.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses6 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Arterequebec
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/arterequebec

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Artère