A Polish NGO is aiming to raise awareness about autism in Poland by calling on social networkers to take a break from Facebook.
Called ‘Communication Shutdown’ the initiative is meant to show what it’s like for an individual to be disconnected from the world by deactivating profiles on social networking websites.
“It is difficult to imagine even a day without contacting your friends and family,” says the oroganisers of the campaign, the NGO Synapsis Foundation.
“How can we live one day without anyone being able to tell, write or explain anything to us? If we understand such problems in communication, then we will grasp the true meaning of autism,” says the press release marking the start of the initiative, which is part of a global action held in over 40 countries.
Alongside raising awareness, the campaign is also aimed at raising funds for organizations providing support for people afflicted with the disorder.
Taking part in the initiative requires a donation of a minimum of 5 USD via the web site communicationshudown.org, which entitles an individual to download a special computer application, providing a campaign badge replacing your profile photo on any networking website for a day.
All the Polish donations go to the Synapsis Foundation, which has delivered professional help to autistic people and their families since 1990.
There are over 250 social networking websites in Poland, bringing together 16 million Internet users. O two-thirds of the world’s population communicates via websites such as Facebook or Twitter.
It is estimated that around 20,000 children and 10,000 suffer from autism in Poland. One in 150 children in the country are afflicted with the disorder, while only 30 percent of them are given professional support. (ab/pg)