The 8th World Autism Awareness Day celebrations and Light-It-Up Blue Ceremony held last Monday, April 6, 2015 at the Music Hall of SM Mall of Asia, Pasay City. SM Cares Program on Disability Affairs, in partnership with Autism Hearts Philippines, host the local observance of the event with the Theme: Employment: The Autism Advantage.
The event inform the public of the importance of World Autism Awareness Day and employers of the prospects of hiring more individuals with autism.
Autism Hearts Foundation Director Ms. Solinda Bautista and National Council on Disability Affairs Executive Director Ms. Carmen Zubiaga, expresses hope and optimism that with continued work on informing the public about autism and the potentials of people with autism.
The 8th World Autism Awareness celebration hopes for job prospects for people with autism and more opportunities would open up for them.
“Research suggests that employers are missing out on abilities that that people on the autism spectrum have in greater abundance than ‘neurotypical’ workers do – such as, heightened abilities in pattern recognition and logical reasoning, as well as a greater attention to detail,” it stated.
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Two of the country’s most notable designers, Anna India Legaspi and Anthony Cruz Legarda took time to teach and guide selected number of young people with autism to paint on piña cloth. Their finish products will then be exhibited via the Filipino Fashion Arts Autism Benefit Project for the whole world to see.
Present during the event were four of the five individuals selected to perform the task led by Best Buddies ambassador and Unilab Employee Vico Cham, Nick Huang, Ralph Sy and Nina Bantoto (she was not able to attend the program).
A project made possible through the Autism Hearts Foundation in cooperation with the Unilab Foundation.