Autism Association applauds govt plan for respite facility

he Autism Association of Barbados says the government’s planned respite and residential facility for adults with disabilities is a significant step for the disabled community.

 

Public Relations Officer, Nadia Simmons told Barbados TODAY on Monday that the facility will give both parents and autistic adults an opportunity to “rejuvenate”, acknowledging the significant mental strain often present in households with autistic individuals.

 

“It gave us hope. Being a parent of a child with autism, in many cases you would be their main caregiver for the rest of your life, and the thought of my community being able to have the chance of being able to get a break in the future, whether it be for a few days or a few hours, that gives us a lot of hope for our lives and our children’s lives,” she said on the sidelines of the disabilities awareness workshop, organised by the Ministry of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs, at the Radisson Aquatica.

 

“It’s something that the BCD – Barbados Council for the Disabled – has sought for years to implement, and we are ecstatic to hear that it’s being started in the next few months.”

 

Last Tuesday, during debate in Parliament on the 2023-2030 National Policy to Improve the Lives of Persons with Disabilities, Prime Minister Mia Mottley announced that the government will next year begin construction on the facility. She said the planned 40-bedroom respite centre would be carefully designed not to resemble an “institution” but rather a village where persons with disabilities could function comfortably, whether independently or with professional support.

 

Simmons said the planned safe space will be critical for autistic adults who often require but lack easy access to specialised care.

 

She pointed out that as autism rates continue to increase both locally and globally, the demand for specialised facilities and additional resources will also grow.

 

“They can’t ignore it anymore. Autism [numbers] are exploding all over the world and I don’t think most persons don’t know somebody with autism – a family member or a coworker; it’s everywhere now. Our membership is unfortunately growing [and] it does mean the resources that we need, need to be expanded,” Simmons said.

 

Meanwhile, Chea Greenidge, founder and chair of the Deaf Heart Project, welcomed the interest Prime Minister Mottley expressed in introducing sign language in primary schools.

 

“I think it’s a great opportunity for us to be teaching and nurturing empathy and compassion for persons with disabilities from such a young age. This opens the door for that. I also think that the approach to it definitely needs to be immersive; just like how you would have French immersion in Canada and other parts of the world, [no] matter what the language is. Children need to be interacting with deaf children,” Greenidge said.

 

“We at the Deaf Heart Project are doing this with our Kids Club, so this happening at scale is a positive move.”