Please tell a little about yourself and your role with autism in Panama.

I am the president of a non profit organization named Fundacion Soy Capaz which translated means I am able (as opposed to disabled) and for three years so far I have been in charged of the only organization for autistic people in Panama which attends children, teenagers and adults, and organizes support groups for parents and siblings, recreational and work activities for adults, seminars for teachers that deal with autistic children and educational programs for the general public.

What is the prevalence of autism in Panama (if known)?

Don't know, we are working with a group of doctors which are trying to figure out how many people with autism are in Panama

Within the culture of Panama, how aware are people of autism? How accepting are they of autism?

We have found a lot of misunderstanding, even within the relatives of the autistic people. Right now people are more accepting of autistic children who before couldn t go to regular school. Thanks to our first lady who herself is the mother of a disabled child, our children have been able to go to regular schools, but still there is a lot of rejection in the work place and we are trying to work in that respect, for the sake of the adults.

What are the largest struggles for people with autism in Panama? Is there a story you know personally that demonstrates this struggle?

The largest struggle is to find work. I have my own story about this struggle, when my son graduated from high school I talked with the owner of a supermarket chain in Panama, who is my relative, and he promised to place my son in the bakery department but when he talked with the manager, he was totally opposed and so were his coworkers. They told me how could they compete in such a competitive world, if they had to accept handicapped people, that they should make their own business and we should manage them. To make things easier I brought a therapist with my son who gather the employees and explained them what autism was, and she got in charged of him for one year. Little by little the employees realized the advantages of having such a hard working person with them, little distraction, never flirted with anybody, never complained, always in good mood. The other day one of his coworkers told me that seeing the enthusiasm that my son had for his work made him appreciate more what he had. Right now, after 3 year, he is in the process of being hired as a regular employee.

What have been some of the greatest successes in Panama in regards to autism?

The work of our first lady to integrate children of all disabilities in regular schools.

Is there anything else about autism and Panama you would like to share?

That is has been a struggle to raise a place for adults with autism, in many cases the parents with an adult are struggling themselves with a low pension, no money for their son or daughter, and to offer them recreational or educational activities is hard without a budget from our side or theirs.
There is no place for adults with autism to stay, nobody offers programs for them.