Light It Up Blue campaign; Credit: FAL

The Fondation Autisme Luxembourg (FAL) has announced that it is turning to social media to relay its message on the occasion of this year's World Autism Awareness Day.

World Autism Awareness Day is celebrated annually on 2 April and aims to raise awareness of autism worldwide. This international day, recognised by the United Nations (UN), was first organised in 2008. On this occasion, all UN Member States are invited to raise public awareness on the subject of autism through the implementation of various measures.

In Luxembourg, the FAL has been actively involved in this process in a number of ways. This year, due to the current coronavirus crisis, the FAL has had to cancel all its planned events for World Autism Awareness Day. Instead, the association is relying on social networks and on supporters relaying its messages. 

The FAL has recalled that autism is an invisible handicap that, nevertheless, concerns a large number of people. It is estimated that autism affects about one person in a hundred in Europe, which represents five million people in the European Union (EU). In Luxembourg, this equates to more than 6,000 people. 

In its efforts to raise awareness about autism in society, and thus provide a better understanding of the behaviour of those concerned, the FAL has launched a campaign ahead of World Autism Awareness Day. In this context, the public is invited to share and comment on the FAL's publications on social media. The public is also encouraged to take pictures of themselves from their homes and share the photos on their respective social networks with the hashtags #FAL, #autism #EMMERDO (ie "always there") and/or #LIUB2020. 

This year's activities will once again feature the "Light It Up Blue" campaign, which sees a large number of buildings illuminated in blue around the date of 2 April. The public can also participate in various ways, for instance by wearing blue clothes and posting it on social media with photos that can be shared with the above hashtags. The FAL has been at the centre of this initiative in Luxembourg since 2013. 

The FAL will also focus this year's actions and messages on the theme "Autism and education", although some initiatives launched by the association have not received the desired feedback. The FAL noted that its request for permission from the Ministry of National Education, Children and Youth to set up school classes for young people with an autism spectrum disorder has been rejected. Nevertheless, a round table is planned at the end of the year to enable various individuals to talk about their difficulties and the opportunities that exist and are offered in Luxembourg. The association will also launch a new project concerning people with Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who do not have a severe intellectual disability. These individuals will have the opportunity, through specific training, to increase their chances of employability on the labour market.

The FAL, founded in 1996 by a group of parents directly affected by this disability, is present on Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, Twitter and Youtube.