World Autism Day 2019

World Autism Awareness Day is annually celebrated on April 2nd. It was instituted in 2007 to raise awareness of the millions of children living with Autism Spectrum Disorder worldwide and to counteract any discrimination that may occur against those living with autism by creating greater understanding in societies across the world. This year’s theme is Assistive Technologies, Active Participation. According to the United Nations, assistive technology can reduce or eliminate the barriers to their participation on an equal basis with others. It is estimated that many people on the autism spectrum, lack access to affordable assistive technologies which can be a prerequisite to exercising their basic human rights and participating fully in the life of their communities. Therefore, the global community has been called to work together to remove barriers to the use of assistive technologies for persons living with Autism Spectrum.

We encourage you to actively participate in this year’s campaign by wearing blue as part of the Light it Up Blue campaign that aims to foster understanding and acceptance for all persons with autism.