April 2: World Autism Awareness Day
CORFU. Spyros Zoumpoulidis: "All of us as parents should aim for every day of the year to be like April 2nd, a day of awareness, information, struggle, action, and activation of society and the state."
"Autism is a genetic, lifelong disability that affects a large number of individuals, with a frequency that in recent years has reached epidemic proportions.
The difficulties in how individuals with autism perceive and interact with their environment have serious implications for the family, which unfortunately in our country, takes on the entire responsibility for their care and education. Due to the complexity of autism, individuals within the spectrum require a high level of support, on a 24-hour basis in all aspects of life: daily needs arising within a household, social interaction, supervision, protection, care, etc.
When the primary caregivers are parents to a large extent, these goals are achieved. However, when parents are unable to do so, and logically they should not do it indefinitely, as no individual in the general population lives their adult life with their parents, there should be planning for supported living conditions, their existence within the community. By this term, we do not simply mean the physical presence of someone in society, but becoming a part of it, participating in a variety of activities.
In 2006, the United Nations adopted the International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities CRPD), which serves as a powerful institutional tool shaping common actions for all citizens with disabilities and guiding states in managing disability issues, specifying their obligations, indicating measures, clarifying their implementation. Two years later, in 2008, the UN declared April 2nd as World Autism Awareness Day.
Today, the organisations of families of people with disabilities and autism, in the clearest way possible, advocate together with our children, for our children, the implementation of the United Nations International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and Law 4074/2012, specifically for individuals with autism:
Early intervention (with the responsibility of parents), education (inclusion, parallel support, special education according to the level of functionality, supported assessment), vocational training, access to work - employment - sheltered workshops, linking education - lifelong learning with work, informal learning and training (through structures adequately staffed and co-financed by the state) throughout the life of a person with autism - for the development of knowledge, skills, and abilities - in order to improve their social and employment situation (European Council) and of course Supported Living Shelters in the community (deinstitutionalisation), in every municipality of the country, for every person with autism.
These are the human rights of our children, of people with autism, we demand and request from the Greek state to take appropriate measures and implement appropriate policies, so that individuals with autism have equal opportunities, in every aspect of their lives.
Therefore, all of us as parents should aim for every day of the year to be like April 2nd, to be a day of awareness, information, struggle, action, and activation of society and the state for a better today and an even better tomorrow for our children, individuals with autism, and their families!"
President: Spyridon Zoumpoulidis
Secretary: Maria Kontou
