ADDRESS BY H.E. PROF. GUIDO DE MARCO, PRESIDENT OF MALTA, AT THE "AUTISM: THE CHALLENGE OF INCLUSION-"

ADDRESS BY H.E. PROF. GUIDO DE MARCO, PRESIDENT OF MALTA, AT THE "AUTISM: THE CHALLENGE OF INCLUSION" - THE FIRST MALTA INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON AUTISM HOSTED BY THE EDEN FOUNDATION AND THE UNIVERSITY OF MALTA - SIR TEMI ZAMMIT HALL, UNIVERSITY OF MALTA, TUESDAY 4^th July 2000.

It is a great pleasure for me to address the first ever international conference to be held in Malta concerning the challenges of dealing with children with autistic spectrum disorder. I accepted to be the patron of this conference for I believe it is important to give the utmost prominence to this issue, to highlight the needs of these children and adults to help them, their parents and society in general to face and understand this challenging condition. The aim here is to seek the ability to go beyond the disability. The aim is to have the vision and courage to overcome the social stigma associated with disability.

The conference has convened to discuss a condition which in the United States is considered to be the third most common disorder, more prevalent than Down Syndrome, childhood cancers and Cystic Fibrosis. I understand the Eden Foundation has over 160 children with autistic spectrum disorder following its courses.

I must admit that I fall within that group of people, and they are in the majority, who know little, if at all, about autism Sometimes, we selfishly do not feel the need to inform ourselves about conditions that affect other people, closing our eyes to other people's travails as we immerse ourselves in our problems. We, thus, fail to understand and cater for the particular needs of people who require specific assistance.

This ignorance and lack of awareness is the first challenge that doctors, social workers, teachers, facilitators, psychologists, parents and society in general must overcome. In the not too distant past, persons with disabilities in Malta were hidden away from society as an aberration that shames the family, locked away from view, either at home or in some institution. We called them inkapacitati, which translates literally to "incapable", pitching their disability as an inountable barrier against their ability and possibility to contribute in a meaningful way to society.

We lacked the knowledge and sensitivity to look beyond the physical or mental shortcomings and reach out to the soul of the person; we failed to recognise the hidden potential that could flower with just some dedicated help and encouragement; we had not yet recognised the benefit of investing in a social infrastructure that would embrace people with special needs rather than push them away, a society that would bridge the psychological divide between "us" and "them". Today we use terms which are considered to be more politically correct, however, a change in the label will not mean much if society's approach and attitude towards persons with special needs do not change as well.

It is with some sense of achievement and satisfaction that we find ourselves here today with a number of experts, both local and foreign, lined up to discuss a condition which, though recorded and identified, is still somewhat of a mystery. This conference signifies another important step forward in the difficult process of reaching out to persons with special needs, of transforming their challenges into opportunities for themselves and for us.

It is a difficult process because it requires a fundamental change in mentality, a change in our approach to dealing with persons with disabilities, an acknowledgement and acceptance that we are all different, we all have some shortcoming but it may be more pronounced in some people and thus they would require more attention, more assistance. When taking into consideration the fact that the World Health Organisation estimates that around 10 per cent of any given population in any developed country has a disability, that is a lot of us we need to cater for.

Society has matured enough to understand that persons with special needs do not need our pity or compassion; they need practical, tangible and pro-active assistance to help them grow into adults that can contribute in one way or other to society. This process has already begun and has already started bearing fruit: the Eden Foundation has been an important catalyst for this change; employers are slowly beginning to shed their misgivings on employing people with special needs, finding in them valid employees; the Equal Opportunities Act, which I personally presented to the Commission for Persons with Disabilities last January, is another turning point. This was not only the first Act of the new Millennium but also the first legislation to deal specifically with the rights of a particular section of society. We have started putting words into action.

You are here to discuss a highly sensitive issue, perhaps the greatest challenge yet, that of inclusion. There are those who believe that inclusion is sound educational practice and is mutually beneficial to all students as they can learn from each other. On the other hand, others counter that argument by stating that including children with mental disabilities, or learning challenges, in mainstream classrooms may have a less than positive effect as the child struggles to keep up with the rest of his classmates and may impinge on the general progress of the class. Inclusion possibilities should not be taken for granted. Much depends on early diagnosis, on special schools to change the minds of autistic toddlers before the problem becomes more acute.

Putting inclusion into practice is a complex matter that requires great sensitivity to the dynamics of society. For inclusion to work effectively, teachers and facilitators would require a sound basis of preparation and training as well as adequate resources. The teacher's responsibility here is immense and can not be underestimated. A school geared towards inclusion would be in a position to support not only the students but also the teachers and parents. .. /3

Including children with learning challenges in the regular classroom presents teachers with a difficult task. Inclusion does not simply mean placing a child with special needs in a class and assigning to him or her a facilitator. Inclusion means a change in the school's general approach towards catering for children with different needs. It does not just mean making the building physically accessible to students with disability, but making teachers, other students, and the whole philosophy with which the school is run accessible to children with special needs.

The debate surrounding the challenge of inclusion begs the questions: are teachers prepared enough for this radical change in their teaching methods and approach to students? How far does the university degree course in education prepare prospective teachers to cater for students with learning difficulties and challenging behaviour? Are facilitators adequately trained? How sustainable is inclusion? The training of teachers is a point of departure. The education of the public is a means to an end.

And if I may, as a lay man, contribute further to the debate, if inclusion fails - as it may in the more serious cases - is the community providing persons suffering from autism residential homes, which are so much needed, in particular when these children become adults away from school and away from the love and affection of the family? We need your advice.

Conferences tend to live as long as the duration of the event itself. Without adequate follow-up, all the goodwill and ideas shared during the discussions would have been in vain. I encourage you to keep up the good work that will be covered over the next two days.