President Bachelet on National Autism Awareness Day: “This is a day that challenges us to assert the value of diversity.”
The President of Chile, Michelle Bachelet, today visited the ASPAUT Cordillera Center (Parents and Friends of People with Autism) in the Puente Alto district of Santiago in commemoration of World Autism Awareness Day. President Bachelet was accompanied by the Director of the Sociocultural Directorate, Paula Forttes.
“This is a day that invites us to think about the tasks we need to undertake as a community so that these boys, girls, young people and adults may lead full lives and also participate in the development of their communities,” said the President.
She went on to reaffirm her government’s commitment to the issue, stating: “Today we need to continue making progress to provide them with more opportunities like the social, health, educational and work opportunities available at this center.”
On a similar note, she took the opportunity to talk about her administration’s progress on the issue: “In terms of education, which you know is a priority, the Education Ministry formed a technical task force on special education. Very soon, that task force will be submitting its proposal on how to advance toward a more inclusive educational system equipped with the tools and resources necessary to help young people achieve their full potential,” she explained.
Noting that she had convened a Presidential Advisory Commission on the issue last year, the President announced that, “The commission is due to submit a national plan for addressing disability, mental health and care at the end of next month.”
She also added that “the Health Ministry is updating the Mental and Psychiatric Health Plan and is conducting a study in order to propose a Bill on Mental Health that truly meets Chile’s current needs.”
The President emphasized that today “is also a day that challenges us to assert the value of diversity and support the integration of everyone with special needs. The key word is integration.”
She ended her speech by noting, “I will to continue working hard to ensure that our autistic children and young people can lead the full lives they deserve.”