On the 17 June, a side event addressing the rights of autistic adults was held at the United Nations as part of the 9th Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). The event, historic in nature and hosted by the Parliamentary Secretariat for Rights of Persons with Disability and Active Ageing of Malta, represents the first United Nations side event where every invited speaker was a person on the autism spectrum.
Self-advocates explored the ways in which the autistic adult community’s needs are relevant to the full realisation of CRPD commitments, placing particular emphasis on supported decision-making and legal capacity, community living policies and services, integrated employment outcomes and health care experiences of autistic adults.
A myriad of issues were discussed during the session, such us the importance of including the full scope of the autistic community in policy considerations, expanding integrated employment outcomes, the importance of self-advocacy, community-based participatory research, post-secondary transition strategies, and the issue of autism and ageing.