Mohanal bats for people on the autism spectrum in a video by CADRRE in Thiruvananthapuram. , photo credit: special arrangement
Mammootty, Mohanlal, Kunchacko Boban, Jagdish, Menaka Suresh, Divya Unni and Nandu were among the celebrities who joined entrepreneurs, bureaucrats and artistes to talk about autism and its many facets.
Organized by the Center for Autism and Other Disabilities Rehabilitation Research and Education (CADRRE), the series of videos uploaded on their YouTube channel and social media are meant to raise awareness on autism and the need to work towards an inclusive society.
CADRRE Honorary Director G. VijayRaghavan says that the primary objective was to help the audience understand what autism is and how it manifests in different ways. “We figured celebrities would attract attention and since the messages were clear, most people would hear it before moving on,” he says.
Last year, CADRRE did a similar series with parents of those on the autism spectrum, which struck a chord with the audience. “The fact is that until we know an autistic person, most people tend to view all disabilities as similar without making the effort to understand that each person on the spectrum is different with different skill sets and challenges. ,” says Radhika SB, executive. Communications.
Each celebrity has spoken about the myriad aspects of autism; All this emphasizes why it is important to work towards an inclusive society where people with different needs are given space to flourish.
In a short video from CADRRE, Divya Unni explains why an inclusive society is important for people on the autism spectrum. , photo credit: special arrangement
“We wanted to amplify the message of inclusivity. Since the messages are short and to the point, we could win over a lot of audience. Getting celebrities to participate was not that difficult. Many of them responded positively when we contacted them ,” she says.
The CADRRE team sent notes and some information on autism to the participants, who then chose what they wanted to convey from it and put the message into their own words.
“They (celebrities) shot videos themselves and sent them to us. The duration of the messages ranged from 45 seconds to three minutes. We feel the videos have clicked with the audience,” says Vijayaraghavan.
28 videos uploaded from 2nd April to continue till 30th April, celebrated as World Autism Day.
Parents and students of CADRRE hope that the message of empathy and equal opportunity will resonate in the society.