By Vitalio Angula

The just-ended World Autism Organisation Congress, held under the theme, Transform the Narrative, brought together international and local delegates for three days of in-person and online lectures, presentations, dialogues, and exhibitions on a subject that is often overlooked in the disability discourse.

The congress took place from 3 to 5 November in the capital, Windhoek, and was attended by parents, caregivers, health professionals, and educators in the disability space with a focus on autism.

Autism, or autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a lifelong neurodevelopmental condition that affects how a person perceives, communicates, interacts with others, and experiences the world.

For Namibia, because the law does not explicitly define autism, local medical practitioners and organisations like the Autism Association of Namibia (AAN), led by Petra Dillmann, look to international medical standards in defining the term autism.

The AAN defines autism as a complex and variable developmental condition that occurs as a result of altered brain development and function.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines ASD as a diverse group of conditions characterised by some degree of difficulty with social interaction and communication, alongside atypical patterns of activities and behaviours.

The WHO maintains that because specialised child psychiatrists and clinical psychologists are scarce in developing nations like Namibia, the WHO does not look at autism solely through a specialised medical lens.

“Through its Mental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP), the WHO provides frameworks for non-specialised health workers to identify signs of developmental disorders, provide basic counselling, and help parents manage behaviours without needing an expensive or inaccessible private diagnosis”.

Namibia’s Parliament recently passed the Mental Health Act of 2026, which focuses primarily on protecting patient rights, dignity, and expanding decentralised, community-based psychiatric care but falls short on defining patients like those with autism.

The previous Mental Health Act of 1973 was more definitive in its approach to persons born with mental conditions under the umbrella of “mental illness”, defined as “any disorder or disability of the mind, and includes any mental disease, any incomplete development of the mind…”

The lack of understanding of neurodivergence and autism at a national level is evidenced by the absence of “key stakeholders” from the congress.

Notable absentees at government level included officials from the Ministry of Gender Equality, Poverty Eradication and Social Welfare (WGEPESW), which is headed by Emma Kantema, the Ministry of Education, Innovation, Youth Sports and Culture (MEIYSAC) and the Ministry of Health and Social Services.

A missed opportunity indeed!

The Congress was officially opened by the Vice President of the Republic of Namibia, Her Excellency Lucia Witbooi, on Wednesday 4^th November.

In her speech, Witbooi recognised inclusive education, accessible healthcare, early identification and intervention, specialised support services and equitable employment opportunities as necessary avenues to ensure the mainstreaming of people living with disabilities.

“For Namibia, disability inclusion is not simply a matter of social responsibility; it is a human rights obligation and a fundamental pillar of our development”, Witbooi said.

According to the Namibia Statistics Agency 2023 Population and Housing Census Labour Force Report, there are currently only 12 508 people with disabilities in the Namibian workforce, making up only 2.3% of Namibia’s total employed population of 546 805, a situation Witbooi says needs to be addressed through deliberate policy and intervention.

The same NSA census reports 152790 people in Namibia who have disability, with only 12508 of these being employed, meaning only 8.9% of people with disabilities are employed, a figure way below the national average.

Disability advocate and office administrator at AAN, Rochelle Van Wyk, says Namibia needs to progress from merely speaking about inclusion to actually doing it.

“While we do have an Affirmative Action Act, we must strengthen its implementation and seriously consider clear targets or even quotas for employment of people with disabilities alongside reasonable accommodation, access technology and workplace accessibility”, Van Wyk says.

Van Wyk further says that, “employment is not just about giving someone a job but also ensuring that people with disabilities are part of decision-making, especially in matters that affect them.

“People with disabilities should have access to growth, and should be treated as professionals, not as charity cases; disability should never be a barrier to work, and Namibia must move from promises to action so no one is left behind”, Van Wyk further said.

Congress delegate and special needs educator, James Makuwa, highlighted the presentation by the Italian delegation headed by the newly sworn-in President of WAO Pierangelo Cappai as an eye-opener when it comes to inclusive education for children with autism.

“In Italy, they don’t have special schools, but children, even those with disabilities, are accommodated in the mainstream system; for me that is the true meaning of inclusivity”, Makuwa said.

A presentation at the congress showed how children in Italy are required to engage in peer-to-peer learning with their counterparts and are responsible for one another.

The 6^th WAO Congress was well attended and closed with the handing over of the Presidency of the WAO from Namibia’s Petra Dillmann to Italy’s Pierangelo Cappai.

The 7^th WAO Congress will be held in New Zealand four years from now, from 25 to 29 November 2030.

Many Namibians who took part in the recently concluded conference in Windhoek say they are already planning to attend the upcoming one while ensuring they apply what they learnt at the congress at the country level.

Vitalio Angula is a socio-political commentator and independent columnist.

Disclaimer: Vitalio Angula served as a volunteer for the 2026 World Autism Organisation Congress