INCLUSIVE
INCLUSIVE: UN secretary-general António Guterres called for renewed commitment to create a more equal and inclusive world in his message marking World Autism Awareness Day on Tuesday.
This year’s theme - Advancing Neurodiversity and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) - highlights the intersection between neurodiversity and global sustainability efforts.
The goal is to showcase how inclusive policies and practices can drive positive change for autistic individuals worldwide and contribute to making the SDGs a reality.
“People with autism often experience isolation, stigma and inequality. They have been denied healthcare and education – especially during crises – and their legal capacity has been unrecognised and over-ridden,” the secretary-general said.
“Such discrimination contravenes the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and the Sustainable Development Goals’ commitment to leave no one behind. It must change,” he added.
Autism, or autism spectrum disorder, constitutes a diverse group of conditions related to development of the brain, according to a fact sheet by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Characteristics may be detected in early childhood, involving some degree of difficulty with social interaction and communication, however diagnosis often does not occur until much later.
PHOTOS: WHO
This year’s theme - Advancing Neurodiversity and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) - highlights the intersection between neurodiversity and global sustainability efforts.
The goal is to showcase how inclusive policies and practices can drive positive change for autistic individuals worldwide and contribute to making the SDGs a reality.
“People with autism often experience isolation, stigma and inequality. They have been denied healthcare and education – especially during crises – and their legal capacity has been unrecognised and over-ridden,” the secretary-general said.
“Such discrimination contravenes the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and the Sustainable Development Goals’ commitment to leave no one behind. It must change,” he added.
Autism, or autism spectrum disorder, constitutes a diverse group of conditions related to development of the brain, according to a fact sheet by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Characteristics may be detected in early childhood, involving some degree of difficulty with social interaction and communication, however diagnosis often does not occur until much later.
PHOTOS: WHO
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