The POCTEFA TEA PIR project takes its first steps to rethink public policies focused on autism

The main researchers of the project, Antonio Lobo and David Vaquero, from the IIS Aragón, together with the IASS and Atades, are promoters of the program in Aragón, within the Pyrenees Working Community.

The IIS Aragón, the IASS and ATADES are part of the promoters of the program within the Pyrenees Work Community

Aragon, Catalonia, the Basque Country, the Principality of Andorra and New Aquitaine and Occitania in France have laid the foundations in Zaragoza to build a common space for research, cooperation and experiences around people with disabilities. Autism Spectrum Disorder (TORCH). That is the objective of the program INTERREG POCTEFA TEA PIR, presented this Friday morning in the Aragonese capital and which brings together public and third sector initiatives within the scope of the Pyrenees Work Community (CTP).

The project is led in Aragonese lands by the Aragonese Institute of Social Services, Aragon Health Research Institute (IIS Aragón) and the entity Coffins. The partners from outside Aragon arrived in Zaragoza this Thursday and this Friday each of the participants presented their first progress to share them with the rest. The manager of the Aragonese Institute of Social Services was present at the presentation, Angel Val, together with Antonio Rodríguez Cosme, president of Atades, the entity promoting the program; your manager, Felix Arrizabalaga, and the vice president, Susana alvarez, mother of a son with autism, as well as several partners from outside Aragon.

The IASS has been entrusted with a project focused on the design of a governance model for public policies on autism in which the autonomous body contributes its resources to two of the five global lines of action: on the one hand, it will participate in the development of a comparative study on public and territorial policies regarding the inclusion of people with ASD in the cross-border space of the Pyrenees (line 3) and on the other hand, it will promote the design of a common strategy and an action plan that takes into account the needs and realities of people with ASD in the territory of the Transpyrenean Commission (CTP) (line 5).

The fundamental objective is to build public policies that accompany people who live with autism throughout their entire life cycle, analyzing and addressing their needs. In the second term, a working group will be established, together with the different sectors involved – education, health, mental health, employment, third sector entities and society in general – through a participatory process that will be launched from the Portal of Transparency of the Government of Aragon.

As the IASS manager explained, Angel Val, it is a cooperation and work project that aims to “review the policies that are being implemented regarding autism in the CTP regions” to design “a roadmap of the ideal of work and care for people with ASD and their families.” The program will run from this year until 2026.

Specifically, on behalf of the public sector, the Aragonese Institute of Social Services, the Aragon Health Research Institute, ARS, CD64, University of Pau, Thuir Hospital, Toulouse Jean-Jaurès University and the New Autism Resource Center participate in the program. Aquitaine. The entities involved from the third sector are Atades, Junts per l'Autisme, Autisme Pau Béarn Pyrénées, Autea, Gautena, Federació per el autisme de Catalunya, Adapei 64, Autisme France, Sésame Autisme and ITS Pierre Bourdieu.

Source: Government of Aragon