‘We can overcome autism’s obstacles’

AUTISM AWARENESS Week (March 30 – April 4 2009) has been organised for a second year by the Ministry of Education under the auspices of First Lady Elsi Christofia to promote greater understanding about autism.

April 2 is World Autism Awareness Day for, is a day for creating awareness in society to protect and empower people with developmental disorders throughout their lives, from childhood to adulthood.

The Education Ministry for the second consecutive year will be holding an autism convention that will last an entire week. Education Minister Andreas Demetriou yesterday said, “We consider it our obligation, to ensure the full integration of people with autism in education, employment, the health system, social care services, culture, and life itself”.

Demetriou added, “The obstacles faced by people with autism and their families are certainly many, but we can overcome them. They can be reduced if the state takes measures for the establishment and operation of public services to support people with so they can be more independent at home, school and within the community”.

The Ministry of Education has taken steps towards making a number of institutional and organisational changes for the education of children with disabilities to ensure equal opportunities for education and work.

The First Lady congratulated the Ministries of Education, Health and Labour “for the interest and sensitivity”, and the Director of Secondary Education for her initiative of organising the events for autism awareness week.

Elsi Christofia assured that the state embraces and continues to embrace people with disabilities with sensitivity and a sense of responsibility saying that “being different is all right”.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.