ACTIVITIES OF AUTISM-EUROPE

Abstract

Considering April 2nd as the World Autism Day, the association Autism-Europe promoted its activities that had been realised during the previous period, primarily assessing the needs of persons with autism in the field of health care, education and employment. Guided by the fact that such needs are not sufficiently taken into account, as well as daily violations of human rights against people with autism across EU countries, Autism-Europe particularly recommends the 10 following measures:

1. Improving the existing indicators on specific health care services in order to be able to measure the proportion of persons with autism or a complex dependency needs disability benefiting from adequate rehabilitation programmes.
2. Reinforcing the initial and continuous training of health professionals on the internationally accepted diagnostic systems and evidence based treatments and ensuring an appropriate training of professionals in charge of the education of persons with autism.
3. Ensuring a partnership between parents and professionals in order to determine appropriate educational or other programmes.
4. Ensuring equal enrolment and access for all to the education systems, and ensuring equal opportunities to develop individual potential in every kind and level of education, regardless of the nature or severity of disability.
5. Integrating the specific behavioural and communication features and needs of persons with autism or a complex dependency needs disability into the standard education systems by means of the continuous training of parents and professionals.
6. Reinforcing life-long education and training of persons with autism.
7. Strengthening and adapting support at the workplace to the needs of persons with autism.
8. Having an environment that fosters communication and is adapted to the problems of behaviour faced by persons with autism.
9. Choosing a way of living either at home or in a residential setting with adequate support from health and education services.
10. Having access to a good quality of life in terms of physical, emotional, social and material well-being.

Important activities that were promoted by Autism-Europe are the following:

• Appointing Magali Vlayen as a new administrative assistant in the Autism-Europe Secretariat in Brussels.
• Meetings of the United Nations and ratification of the Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities. Ratification of the UN Convention’s Optional Protocol by Germany, on 24th February 2009 and ratification of the UN Convention’s Optional Protocol by Great Britain, on 26th February 2009.
• First meeting of the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons withDisabilities which was held in Geneva from 23 to 27 February 2009. At the meeting, new organizations, which took part in promotion of the rights of persons with disabilities, were promoted and a Chairperson, a Vice-Chairpersons and a Reporter of the Committee were elected.
• Undertaking initiative by the European Parliament, in order to accelerate the procedure for ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities.
• Overtaking the leading role in the EU by the Czech Republic on 1st January 2009 with priority to work under the motto “Europe without Borders”, aiming at employment for people with disabilities as a basic way of prevention from their social exclusion.
• Presentation of suggestions of the European anti discriminatory directive, which refer to the people with disabilities.
• Adoption of resolution on 26th January 2009, by the Council of Europe, for active and comprehensive participation of people with disabilities in all spheres of life.
• Promotion of the right for voting of people with disabilities at European elections.
• Carrying out a campaign for personal assistants.
• Promotion of the term for holding the General Assembly of Autism-Europe, on 2nd-3rd May 2009 in Liverpool, Great Britain.