About Us
Bibs Available: 0 (Please contact the NGO for the same)
Cause Category:
Disability
Telephone:
9029018100
Address: Flat No.1, Ground Floor, Sorab House, Garden Lane, Colaba, Mumbai - 400039
Connect:
Aligned to the following Sustainable Development Goals
Who We Are
Forum for Autism (FFA), set up formally in 2002, is a parent support group which caters to the needs of families touched by Autism Spectrum Disorder. The primary aim of setting up FFA was to create awareness about Autism and to empower parents. Over the last two decades, along with the primary goals, FFA has widened its horizons to work towards protecting the rights of the person with Autism and their families, self advocacy and providing financial assistance to un-affording families. FFA is registered as a Society and Trust under the Societies Registration Act and Indian Trust Act respectively.
• FFA is a vibrant parent body that is working towards empowering persons with Autism and their families.
• Since inception, FFA has been actively involved in spreading awareness about Autism – at schools, colleges, restaurants, corporate houses, to Doctors, teachers, students and society at large.
• FFA runs 2 libraries (Colaba and Vashi) where around 500 books are available on various topics related to Autism.
• FFA conducts parent training workshops and seminars/talks regularly by Professionals from India and abroad to constantly update understanding of Autism and to learn new therapy methods. Due to pandemic, we conducted webinars for parents and professionals.
• FFA has held several workshops specifically for Professionals and teachers working with children with Autism. FFA has facilitated a training workshop for BMC special education teachers which was greatly appreciated and received excellent feedback.
• FFA has a database of parents and professionals in each area of Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and Thane which is readily shared with any new parent who is looking for support and resources.
• Sponsoring of children from un-affording families. FFA commits to partly sponsor a child for 3 years in the school of the parents' choice.
• FFA's Monitoring and Resource Committees formed in 2014 are working towards creating safe environments for children/adults with Autism in schools/therapy centres/vocational centres/residential centres.
• FFA has helped several parents and professionals set up centers/schools for children with Autism.
• FFA parents have constantly engaged with the Govt of Maharashtra and obtained several concessions for children in mainstream schools and now for college students too.
• FFA has been striving to create job opportunities for adults with Autism in the Open employment and Sheltered workshop arenas.
• FFA proudly encourages its Juniors – young adults on the Spectrum to openly talk about their struggles and successes helping them to become inspiring models for the younger children and parents.
• FFA parents have been representing the Autism sector in various State and Central Government bodies. FFA represented Civil Society in the drafting of the new Persons with Disability Law.
• FFA representatives are invited to conduct workshops/seminars/give talks in other parts of India and at international meets too.
• FFA’s website and facebook page are updated regularly to keep our awareness and network processes stay alive, relevant and strong.
• FFA proactively advocates for the rights of persons with Autism and published its Charter of Rights for Persons with ASD on the occasion of World Autism Awareness Day on 2nd April 2014.
• FFA participates in the Mumbai Marathon every year and our contingent is lead by our Cause Ambassadors Chef Sanjeev Kapoor and Cricket Commentator Harsha Bhogle.
FFA Doctors Team
• In June 2020, at the height of the pandemic and during the complete lockdown, parents of Forum for Autism who are also doctors, came together to form a task force to assist families seek medical help in the event of Covid 19 infection to any member or to the person with autism.
• The doctor task force is distributed along the Island City, Mumbai Suburbs, Thane and Navi Mumbai and has assisted several families seek appropriate medical attention for both home quarantine and hospitalization.
• The task force periodically puts together important information on procedures and precautions about the virus and facilities and services available via government. This information is shared with Forum for Autism members and on social media.
• This task force continues to give valuable guidance through the opening up of lockdown and continued pandemic.
While FFA has been involved in all these and other activities, its core philosophy remains the same – parent empowerment. Any new parent who contacts FFA is immediately helped with local contacts of other parents, information about professionals, schools and therapy centers. Senior FFA parents have lent a patient ear to many a new parent going through the initial confusion, bewilderment and worry just after a diagnosis of Autism for their child. The Seniors have hand held a lot of new parents and guided them personally knowing that they themselves went through this phase many years ago.
FFA’s long term future plans include:
• Pre-vocational, Vocational, Residential and Respite Care facilities for persons with Autism that are safe and empowering.
• Financial assistance to un-affording families for therapy and education. All donations to FFA are tax exempt under Section 80 G of the IT Act.
• Extensive training and capacity building to instill best practices at home, school and society.
FFA is in the process of setting up several initiatives for adults with autism, ranging from training of staff for vocational centres with autistic adults, to training such adults in soft skills to ready them for open employment. But our long term goals include setting up Counselling Centres, Respite Centres and Long-term Stay Centres for autistic adults and their families. Our activities over the years have been concentrating more and more on autistic persons being advocates for themselves.
We are also in the process of collating Best Practices across services being provided for autistic people in Mumbai, which we hope to collaborate on with other organisations across India and other parts of the world. The end aim is to arrive at a Code of Ethics.
Photos / Videos
Our Fundraisers
Sanjeev Kapoor
Change Leader
` 1177600 of
` 1000000
View Page
Raising Funds For
EDUCATION:
Autism is now appearing in 1 in every 68 children, education avenues for our children is still very sparce and is very expensive….
We are helping out families who cannot afford monthly fees and therapy and the money donated by you would certainly help out a child to eventually lead a close to normal life…
ADVOCACY FOR ETHICAL AND SCIENTIFIC METHODS IN TREATMENT AND SERVICES FOR AUTISM
We are in the process of collating Good Practices prevailing in organizations that teach/work with Individuals with Autism. We hope to bring focus on the ethical methods used in the chosen organisations. This project was necessitated because of the multiple cases of abuse of children/ young adults in various centers that were brought to FFA's notice.
TRAINING PROGRAMS FOR PARENTS OF CHILDREN/ADULTS WITH AUTISM
Periodically, we arrange guidance talks/webinars/training programs for the parents and professionals of children/adults with Autism either for free of charge or with nominal charges. Through this we want to help and reach out to the parents who have less resources available in their respective locations.
AUTISM AWARENESS
We also arrange various awareness activities to increase Autism awareness in the community.
Fund Utilization in 2023
Total funds raised in 2023 - INR 838571
Project Name | Sponsorship for Children with Autism |
Amount Utilized (INR) | 540000 |
Project Description | Forum for Autism raises funds towards sponsoring of children with Autism in various schools and therapy centers. We have been receiving donations from parents who have understood the work that we are doing on ground. They have been donating towards the cause for increasing awareness about Autism as well as for helping families who cannot afford basic intervention for their children. Our ambassador, Chef Sanjeev Kapoor and his wife Alyona Kapoor along with team MFA Capital and their clients have been contributing funds towards the fund raising during the marathon. We have been urging more families to reach out to us for such financial support through the institutes or centres which their children are availing intervention from. |
Locations | Mumbai City > Maharashtra (MH),Mumbai suburban > Maharashtra (MH) |
Causes | Education > Early childhood learning,Education > Education scholarships,Education > Remedial education |
Beneficiary Group | Persons with Disabilities |
Beneficiary Description | We are currently sponsoring 15 children/young adults from 5 different schools/centers. |
Impact | We are currently sponsoring 15 children/young adults from 5 different schools/centers. |
Activities Conducted
No | Activity / Item / Beneficiaries | Quantity / Number, if applicable |
1 |
Sponsoring Children with Autism |
15 |
|
` 1224600 of ` 1000000
Raised by 56 contributors.
Verified documents submitted :
Parina Khetan
Parina Khetan
Taranjeet Singh
Huzaifa Shaikh Shaikh