Reema: Employers, help parents of autistic children

Say it with flowers: Reema Carmona receives a bouquet from Rotary Club PoS West president Christopher Henriques at Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, Mt Hope on Friday. Photo by Roger jacob
Say it with flowers: Reema Carmona receives a bouquet from Rotary Club PoS West president Christopher Henriques at Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, Mt Hope on Friday. Photo by Roger jacob

Employers need to be sensitised to the trials faced by parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), says the wife of President Anthony Carmona, Reema Carmona. “Those special needs parents are no less committed; they believe in a good work ethic; they want to be productive; and yet, are sometimes unduly treated at the workplace. Employers can be taught to consider work-at-home policies and initiatives, to ease the strain, and at the same time, to effectively manage productivity levels in the workplace,” Carmona said.

She made the proposal on Friday at an autism training seminar, hosted by the Rotary Club of Port of Spain West in collaboration with Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, and the Ministry of Education. The opening of the three-day workshop was held at the Student and Recreation Centre, Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, Mt Hope.

Carmona recommended having chambers of commerce and Employers Consultative Association take part in a programme to learn about the challenges of working parents of special needs children. She said she firmly believed a society is judged by the way it treats its marginalised and disadvantaged. Carmona said using terms such as “marginalised” and “disadvantaged” means TT is yet to achieve the type of genuine inclusivity required by the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

“These SDGs are built on the firm principle of ‘leaving no one behind’ and emphasises a holistic approach to achieving sustainable development for all. Our children with ASD deserve the best environment in which to thrive and so do their parents, their siblings and caregivers. We are in this fight together, and to borrow the slogan from the Vanderbilt Kennedy Centre, there is ‘hope through discovery’ for disabilities.” Carmona said hope through discovery in TT for ASD is facilitated through these very instrumental training sessions, which speak to the social consciences and responsibilities of the Rotary Club of Port of Spain West and Vanderbilt University. She said the Rotary Club must be commended for co-ordinating the initiative. “The public needs to understand, know and appreciate that persons with disabilities, in particular persons with Autism Spectrum Disorder, are in need of sensitivity, support, guidance and genuine kindness.

“We have a moral responsibility to ensure that those who are marginalised are fully integrated into our society. We must live a philosophy of true inclusivity where the marginalised, persons with disabilities, and the voiceless are heard, have access to and enjoy the same opportunities as able persons,” Carmona said.

Comments

"Reema: Employers, help parents of autistic children"

More in this section