ASP hosts autism parents from Vietnam

The Autism Society Philippines -- through our National Office, Los Baños Chapter and UP-CAMP Chapter -- had a series of interactions with a nine-mother delegation from Vietnam supported by the ASEAN Autism Network. Vietnam is only beginning its journey in autism advocacy; and their exposure to the Philippine experience will hopefully inspire them to create programs to answer their countrymen's unique needs.

The discovery tour was arranged by the former ASP Executive Director Ranil Sorongon, who is now the Autism Expert for the Asia-Pacific Development Center on Disability (APCD). The APCD is a regional center on disability and development, established in Bangkok, Thailand as a legacy of the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons, 1993-2002. It was created as a collaboration between the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, Royal Thai Government and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Government of Japan¹.

APCD was endorsed by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) as a regional cooperative base for its Biwako Millennium Framework for an inclusive society in the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons, 2003-2012. ESCAP identified APCD as the regional center on disability for the Incheon Strategy to Make the Right Real, 2013-2022. In cooperation with more than 30 countries in the Asia-Pacific region, APCD is currently managed by the Foundation of Asia-Pacific Development Center on Disability (APCD Foundation) under the Patronage of Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn¹.

The ASP leadership welcomes the Vietnam advocates

The delegation from Vietnam visited the ASP Los Baños Chapter's Autism Resource Center -- a showcase of grassroots ingenuity and cooperation. They also attended a seminar by Teacher Kate Reyes, arranged by ASP UP-CAMP Chapter in Manila. ASP Chair Emeritus Dang Koe, ASP VP Ces Sica, and ASP Trustee Carmel Almendrala shared their experiences in sustaining autism advocacy over the past twenty-five years in a brief round-table discussion. The trip culminated in a dinner hosted by ASP National at the Kabayan Hotel on 09 November 2013.

¹"Background." Asia-Pacific Development Center on Disability, n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2013.

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