Parents of autistic children have joined hands to ensure that society understands, accepts, and respects their children as autonomous individuals.
Thiruvananthapuram Autism Club, a one-year-old organisation, flagged off an autism awareness campaign titled Disha to mark World Autism Awareness Day on Sunday.
In tune with the United Nation’s official theme for the day, ‘Towards autonomy and self-determination,’ Disha seeks to create a world where autistic children have the space to live their lives on their terms, instead of having society determine what their place should be.
To achieve this, it is the public that needs to be made aware of the disorder, says A.K. Sivadas, secretary of the club. “We, the parents, want our struggle to be made easier through the elimination of the unreasonable social stigma towards autism,” he says.
India vs rest of the world
The rest of the world is miles ahead in provided quality life for the autistic population, says Anna Joseph, a member of the club. For instance, there are companies abroad that hire people with autism, and international airports where the staff are trained to identify them and modify the check-in and boarding processes to suit their needs.
In India, there is a dearth of programmes for empowering autistic children, especially the older ones, Ms. Joseph says. “The vocational training available for them here is limited to activities such as candle-making and bag-making, which are far below the potential of such children.”
There is also a need to involve autistic individuals and their caretakers in the making of policies that concern them, says Mr. Sivadas. The club has submitted a memorandum to the State government seeking their inclusion in the management of autism parks proposed under the 2017-18 Budget.
Disha was inaugurated by cultural activist Soorya Krishnamoorthy at an event at Napier Museum. As part of the event, the group marched to Manaveeyam Veedhi from the museum, and decked up the cultural corridor in blue lights as is the norm for the day. Punarjani , a book on autism penned by C.P. Aboobacker, was distributed at the venue.
