a-STEP to enhance social inclusion
Autism is a lifelong developmental disability which affects how people communicate and interact with the world. As a spectrum condition, Autism affects people in different ways. The number of autistic people has increased exponentially over the past decades with the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reporting in 2020 that 1 in 36 children is autistic.
The European Commission’s European Disability Strategy 2010-2020 identified social exclusion as one of the grand challenges that people with disabilities in Europe are facing. People with disabilities (including autistic people) are the most disadvantaged in society exacerbating many inequity issues. For instance, people with disabilities may have limited access to basic education, which can largely reduce their chances to obtain meaningful and gainful employment as adults. Globally, the employment rates of people with disabilities are significantly lower than their peers without disabilities. In addition to the socio-economic implications, social exclusion impacts negatively on self-esteem, mental health, and quality of life. Thus, social inclusion is an important element of well-being for people with disabilities and a key component of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD).
After 10 years, of the European Commission’s Disability Strategy has had a positive impact on EU rules and policies, however, there is room for improvement. The challenge is even more profound for people with a diagnosis of Autism and/or Intellectual Disability (ID). According to ESIPP, an organisation helping parents to understand Autism and promote positive inclusion, 7.5 million people in the EU are autistic and 15 million have an ID. A vast majority of them experience widespread discrimination in many areas of life including education and employment.
Research has highlighted that social inclusion can be promoted through access to education and employment. Recent research has demonstrated that assistive technology (AT) can be a meaningful way to improve access to education, employment, independence, and community participation among people with disabilities such as Autism. AT, include both high-end and low-end devices, equipment and systems, apps and other products. While AT can be useful in improving the life of people with disabilities, the World Health Organization (WHO) have identified that only 10% of the population in need of AT products have access to them.
While AT provision varies across countries, the intent to support autistic people should be a global priority with a focus on removing barriers and providing facilitators to independent living, community participation, and transition from education to employment settings. The rapid pace of technological advancement can leave behind the most vulnerable in society especially people with a disability. There are low rates of AT adoption by service providers, educators, employers and policymakers as well as high rates of AT abandonment. Building global capacity for AT provision and applications will provide a unique opportunity to support independence and inclusion for autistic people through the use of AT.
There are several areas of needs including: high abandonment rates of AT, lack of inclusion of autistic people in the research process, lack of interdisciplinary and intersectoral collaboration, and a poor match between technology and autistic people. Therefore, there is an urgent need to refine the methods for designing and developing AT tools and accelerating AT uptake and to reduce abandonment issues.
Introducing a-STEP
The COST Action a-STEP, which stands for advancing social inclusion through Technology and EmPowerment was launched to tackle these challenges. This network brings stakeholders from research, industry, policymakers, service providers, and autistic people together to exchange current technological, research and policy developments.
The objective of a-STEP is to build an interdisciplinary, intersectoral pan European and beyond, network which will enhance social inclusion and empowerment of people with a diagnosis of Autism and/or ID.
Autism and ID are global societal challenges that require international synergies. Last September, during the Science Summit at the United Nations General Assembly, Dr Geraldine LEADER, chairing the Action, was invited to speak about the relevance of AT in bridging gap between social exclusion and inclusion. This was an opportunity for stakeholders and speakers from all continents to discuss challenges faced by people with disabilities in accessing education and employment.
“Assistive technology (AT) can improve access to education, employment, independence and community participation for people with disabilities. Despite this, according to WHO, only 10% of the population in need of AT products have access to them. a-STEP is dedicated to promoting accessible and sustainable AT to increase social inclusion for people with Autism. This offers us a unique opportunity to remove barriers and provide facilitators towards full inclusion for all people disability world-wide.”
Dr Geraldine Leader, a-STEP Action Chair
This collaborative network currently gathers researchers from 37 countries, both in the European Union and beyond, including electronic engineers, computer scientists and industrial engineers who are at the cutting-edge of AT design, usage and applications for ASD and/or ID. The network is divided into six Working Groups, each of them specialised in a specific area, in order to achieve cohesion and guarantee successful outcomes for the Action. a-STEP will work to evaluate, create, and promote the applications of accessible and sustainable assistive technology across education and employment.