AAAP to Build First Residential Community for Adults with Autism

It is the dream of every parent of children with autism to settle their loved ones, when they become adults, in a safe and secure environment that will provide long-term care for persons with autism. With this vision in mind, The Association for Adults with Autism, Philippines (AAAP) came up with a flagship project, A Special Place, the first residential community in the country to care for these persons with special needs.

To realize this project, AAAP featured paintings by adults with autism at the Reading Room of Filipinas Heritage Library in Makati City last February 20 for a silent auction. Young artists Matthew Aragon, Vico Cham and Andrei Macapagal donated their artworks for the cause.

Corporate representatives and guests attended the art auction in support to AAAP’s A Special Place project. Broadcast journalist Karen Davila and other advocates for the care of persons with autism, were among the speakers at the launch.

The fundraising event was held to help construct A Special Place which will initially consist of six individual homes located within the same campus with six residents and house parents assigned per unit. The residents will receive full supervision and care. The facility will be built in a location south of Manila, with a cool environment that will provide “nature therapy”, yet still relatively accessible to basic services.

“Our focus now is to raise enough funds to make this dream a reality especially now that more and more Filipinos are diagnosed with autism. We thought of A Special Place because, as parents, it is a reality we face that we will eventually grow old and, thus, have to ensure the future of our offspring who have autism. We’ll not always be here for our children and we believe it’s high time to have a facility here in the country that specifically caters to the needs of adults with autism, a place where they can enjoy a secure, independent, and comfortable life,” said Lirio Sobreviñas-Covey, President of AAAP. Covey, a Professor of Clinical Psychology and Senior Research Scientist at Columbia University in New York, is a mother to 33-year old Mikey, an adult with autism who now lives in a residential community in New York.

For more information on A Special Place and AAAP, contact Carissa Villacorta at +639175955480 or send an email to adultautismphil.

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The Association for Adults with Autism, Philippines (AAAP) is a non-profit group conceived and established by parents of persons with autism. The association aims to provide sustained enrichment opportunities and long-term care to these individuals as well as offer means to achieve personal growth, social interaction, and a cooperative life among their peers. Visit https://adultautismphil.wordpress.com for more details.

Figure 1 (L-R) Enviro Board Managing Director Joshua Mosshart, Karen Davila, Enviro Board Co-Chairman Glenn Camp, and Gloria Caoile.

Figure 2 Vico Cham draws Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Chair Patricia Licuanan.

Figure 3 AAAP President Lirio Covey presented the concept of A Special Place.