Significance
World Autism Awareness Day is an
internationally recognized day on 2 April every year, encouraging Member States
of the United Nations to take measures to raise awareness about people with
autistic spectrum disorders including autism and Asperger syndrome throughout
the world. It was designated by the United Nations General Assembly resolution.
World Autism Awareness Day", passed in council on 1 November 2007, and
adopted on 18 December 2007. A resolution was passed and adopted without a vote
in the UN General Assembly, mainly as a supplement to previous UN initiatives
to improve human rights.
Observance
World Autism Day is one of only
seven official health-specific UN Days. The day itself brings individual autism
organizations together all around the world to aid in things like research,
diagnoses, treatment, and acceptance for those with a developmental path
affected by autism.
Each World Autism Awareness Day
has focused on a specific theme determined by the UN.
Outcomes
In a 2015 Presidential Proclamation, President Obama highlighted some of the initiatives that the US government was taking to bring rights to those with autism and to bring awareness to the disorder. He highlighted things like The Affordable Care Act, which prohibits health insurance companies from denying coverage based on a pre-existing condition such as autism. He also pointed out the recent Autism CARES Act of 2014, which provides higher level training for those who are serving citizens on the autism spectrum.