Lucia Witbooi calls for greater inclusion of autistic youth in Namibia
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Windhoek Observer
Namibia's Vice-President Lucia Witbooi calls for autistic young people to have access to education, career ambitions and social life without discrimination. She was speaking at the opening of the 6th World Autism Organisation Congress in Windhoek, according to Windhoek Observer.
Namibia's Vice-President Lucia Witbooi has called for greater inclusion of autistic young people in education, employment and social life, at the opening of the 6th World Autism Organisation Congress in Windhoek, reports Windhoek Observer. She called for autistic people to have access to quality education, accessible care and specialised services without discrimination.
Namibia is hosting the international congress for the first time, organised under the theme “Transforming the Narrative about Autism”, according to Windhoek Observer. Lucia Witbooi also called for autistic people to participate in decisions that affect their lives.
The President of the World Autism Organisation and founder of the Autism Association of Namibia, Petra Dillmann, also called for autistic young people to be given greater means of expression. The 2011 census recorded 1,146 autistic people among 98,413 people identified as having disabilities in Namibia, while the Education Ministry's information system counted 224 pupils with autism spectrum disorder in 2023, including 159 boys, reports Windhoek Observer.
