Autism Awareness Campaign UK

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Please improve this article if you can. (April 2008)

The Autism Awareness Campaign UK was launched in 2000 by Ivan and Charika Corea in response to an autism diagnosis ascribed to their son, Charin.

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[edit] Objectives

The group campaigns on autism in the labour market, education, health,speech therapy, respite care,minority ethnic communities, as well as other areas where they believe there is a shortfall in public-service provision. Also, they have lobbied for greater awareness of the condition and for independent research on the causes of autism.

[edit] 2002 Autism Awareness Year in the UK

The Autism Awareness Campaign of 2002 was successful in initiating debates in the Parliament of the UK, as well as the Scottish Parliament. The pivotal focus was 2002 as Autism Awareness Year supported by 800 organisations including the British Institute of Brain Injured Children, The Disabilities Trust, the National Autistic Society and a whole host of charities and organisations.

Additionally, a major conference on autism was held at the King's Fund in London; as well as a service for autism at St Paul's Cathedral.

[edit] London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Bid

Lord Coe appointed Ivan Corea as a London 2012 Olympic bid Ambassador. The Autism Awareness Campaign UK were fully involved with the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic bid.

The Coreas were shortlisted for the Beacon Prize in 2006 and 2004 for their philanthropic achievements, and received the "Beacon Highly Commended Award Certificate for Leadership".

[edit] 2007 autism debate in the House of Commons

The Autism Awareness Campaign very active in 2007 - awareness about the condition was raised in the British House of Commons when Lee Scott, MP for Ilford North, raised what was noted as an 'important debate' on autistic children. The debate brought autism back into the spotlight. It is widely regarded as a landmark debate on autism and Scott paid tribute to the Autism Awareness Campaign, he also mentioned the campaign in Prime Minister's Questions on 21st March 2007. Prime Minister Tony Blair said that 'Autism was a serious issue.'

[edit] reference

[edit] Meeting with Prime Minister Tony Blair and Gordon Brown in 2007

Ivan Corea of the Autism Awareness Campaign UK met with the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Tony Blair and Lee Scott MP in April 2007 - the meeting took place in the Prime Minister's Office in the House of Commons in the Palace of Westminster in London. He presented the Prime Minister with the Autism Report calling for a national strategy on autism and a 10 year plan of action in the UK. The call for an urgent review on autism services was supported by leading British charities, community organisations including faith communities.

News of the meeting was featured on the Downing Street website.

Parliamentarians of all parties signed an early day motion on autism (EDM 1359)in May 2007 in the House of Commons in Westminster backing the call of the Autism Awareness Campaign UK for a national strategy on autism and radical change in policy for all people with autism and Asperger's Syndrome.

Ivan Corea also met the British Prime Minister-in-Waiting, Gordon Brown in June 2007. Gordon Brown conceded that the Government needs to do more to support all children with disabilities.

The Autism Awareness Campaign urged Prime Minister Gordon Brown to back and support a national strategy of autism and launch a 10 year plan of action - particularly in building state of the art specialist autism schools open to all.

[edit] United Nations World Autism Awareness Day 2008

The Autism Awareness Campaign UK were very involved in the first ever United Nations World Autism Awareness Day, declared by the UN General Assembly on Wednesday 2nd April 2008 on the recommendation of the State of Qatar. The campaign called on the United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon to launch a world autism strategy, convene a United Nations Autism Conference in 2009 in order to engage with world leaders on autism and for UN agencies such as UNICEF, UNDP and Britain's DIFID to reach out and help families with autism in the Third World who are below the poverty line - particularly in Africa and Asia. Ivan Corea also announced on CNN, GMTV and the world's media that a new international organisation is being set up called the UK Autism Founsdation, to build a state of the art Autism Centre in London and to help the poor in Africa and Asia. The UK Autism Foundation will lobby for real and lasting change for parents, carers, children and adults with autism and Asperger's Syndrome.

The CNN interview with presenter Max Foster was televised worldwide on the CNN's exclusive coverage to mark World Autism Awareness Day on 2nd April 2008.

International coverage about the Autism Awareness Campaign UK was also given on Associated Press and the campaigners received national coverage in the United Kingdom when GMTV interviewed Ivan Corea on the GMTV Morning Program on World Autism Awareness Day.

The campaigners also released a film to mark the historic United Nations World Autism Awareness Day with the leading British peer The Baroness Uddin in the House of Lords in the Palace of Westminster. Baroness Uddin and Ivan Corea, in the film released on You Tube called on the UNSG Ban Ki-moon to 'open every door' to every child and adult with autism and Asperger's Syndrome around the world.

The new charity the UK Autism Foundation unveiled plans for a state of the art Autism Centre in London on World Autism Awareness Day 2008.

The day also saw the launch of the song for autism, Open Every Door, written by the award winning Sri Lanka-born singer/songwriter, Nimal Mendis and sung by the South Asian star Gresha Schuilling for the UK Autism Foundation. The song was aired on the UN World Autism Awareness Day by CNN.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

Guardian Article] Living with Autism