World Autism Awareness Day 02 April – Spain
Autism is a permanent neurological condition that is evident from early childhood, regardless of gender, race and social or economic conditions.The stigmatisation and discrimination associated with diversity in neurology remain the main obstacles to diagnosis and treatment.
That is why it is really important to dedicate a day to raising awareness of this condition and therefore improving general knowledge about it.In order to achieve this, the United Nations General Assembly declared World Autism Awareness Day as 2 April.
Throughout its history, the United Nations has been committed to increasing visibility of diversity and promoting respect of the rights and wellbeing of people with disabilities.
2020, World Autism Awareness Day focussed on encouraging the use of technology to support people with autism and help them better integrate in society, breaking down barriers that may hinder this. Through access to technology, people on the autistic spectrum have great support for developing aspects that are important in their daily lives, as well as becoming involved and participating in their community.
Although technology continues advancing at a great speed, there remain many difficulties for these people to access this support technology, either due to the high cost, lack of availability or lack of training regarding their use.
Therefore, in order to raise awareness of all these aspects, Correos is issuing a stamp with an illustrative design based on the official campaign of this commemoration, where training can help autistic people work in any field or professional activity.
The 2022 World Autism Awareness Day observance
This year‘s observance will address inclusive education in the context of SDG 4 – the promise and reality – through a virtual event that will include a moderated panel discussion, along with brief presentations by self-advocates, educators and other experts.
The theme of inclusive education is intrinsically linked with the focus of last year’s WAAD observance, “Inclusion in the Workplace”. Panelists in last year’s event emphasized how crucial it is to foster inclusive quality education for people on the autism spectrum so that they can fulfill their potential and achieve sustainable success in the labour market. In this respect, inclusive education is the key to the transformative promise of the Sustainable Development Goals.
The event is organized by the UN Department of Global Communications and UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, with the support of civil society partners including the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, the Global Autism Project and the Specialisterne Foundation
Stamp Digest 