The Autism Awareness Month started on April 2nd with the ‘Blue for Autism’ campaign. Every year the annual event organised by the Synapsis Foundation is supported by companies from the real estate industry including ‘Eurobuild CEE’.
On World Autism Awareness Day on April 2nd the Palace of Culture and Science and the Śląsko-Dąbrowski bridge in Warsaw were illuminated in blue. On April 3rd, more than 30 buildings were lit up in Warsaw and more than 100 throughout the country. The buildings included those from the management portfolios of Colliers International, JLL, Knight Frank, Cushman & Wakefield, CBRE, BNP Paribas Real Estate, REINO Partners, Golub Gethouse, Echo Polska Properties and Savills. “Colliers is once again taking part in the ‘Blue for Autism’ campaign together with the owners of the buildings we manage. I hope that this campaign will raise the subject of autism and result in those that find themselves on the autism spectrum being met with the full understanding and acceptance of Polish society. After all diversity should be our greatest asset,” says Monika Rajska-Wolińska, the managing partner of Colliers International in Poland. Representatives of the industry were also personally involved in recording a video, while dressed in blue, with Eurobuild TV, promoting the #ŚwiecimyNaNiebiesko [#LightItUpBlue] campaign. “Knight Frank actively gives its support to the Synapsis Foundation every year. As part of the #ŚwiecimyNaNiebiesko campaign, we not only illuminate selected buildings managed by Knight Frank for World Autism Awareness Day but we also make the point of dressing in blue. We wish to support both children and adults with autism, their families and loved ones. This is an important campaign for us because it draws attention to a topic that has been ignored for many years. With the growing knowledge of autism, the involvement of real estate companies in the campaign has also been rising,” says Mart Tinc, the head of human resources at Knight Frank. Over the month meetings were held with specialists in the field of autism across Warsaw, including in the Centrum Kreatywności Targowa [Targowa Creativity Centre], the Warsztat Warszawski [Warsaw Workshop] and the Miejsce Aktywności Lokalnej [Local Activity Place] in Ursynów. A special tram with educational materials was also driven through the city on which consultations were held with specialists from the Synapsis Foundation and Poradnik Autystyczny [Autistic Guidance].
Autism is a disorder, which can be diagnosed in early childhood often before the age of three. It can be observed in social relations, and communication with peers, as well as in play and rigid behavioural patterns. Currently the disorder is described as a spectrum that includes autism and Asperger's syndrome as well as a number of other developmental disorders.
