For 20 years, Guarantee Trust Bank has provided opportunities for autism patients who had initially lost hope, the Group Managing Director/ chief executive officer of Guarantee Trust Company, GTCO Segun Agbaje has said. He spoke ahead of the 12th edition of the annual GTCO Autism Conference themed coming up next week.
This year’s conference tagged “Creating a Community of Awe-Tism Advocates” will hold on Monday and Tuesday, August 29th and 30th, 2022, at MUSON Center, Onikan, Lagos, the financial behemoth has said.
“The 2-day conference will bring together some of the world’s leading experts on Autism to share with us, amongst other insights, how we can best support children and adults living with Autism in our communities. You can also request a one-on-one consultation with our medical experts if your child or ward is facing a developmental challenge. Specialists are available from Tue 23rd to Sat 27th August 2022,” the bank stated.
Speaking on the conference Agbaje said the company has already done much and will still do more in ensuring that autism patients live a normal life and ‘reach their full potential”.
According to the chief executive “While much has been done over the years to increase the social consciousness around Autism and to improve the available support systems for managing developmental disorders, we strongly believe that we can do more individually and collectively to create and uphold a culture of inclusion towards people with ASD to enable them to reach their full potential.
“The Orange Ribbon initiative was created to support children and adults with developmental disabilities with a focus on those with autism spectrum disorders.
“Now in its 2nd decade, the annual Autism Conference has over the years created a community of people with a shared commitment to create better outcomes for those who find themselves in the margins of society simply because they are different from the rest.”
The annual Autism Conference has gained wider support for bringing together global leading Autism experts. This year’s conference has received support from the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Enugu; Autism Compassion Africa, Ghana; The Color of Autism Foundation, USA; Meharry Medical College, USA, and Behaviorprise Consulting Inc., Canada.
There will also be keynote addresses from world renowned Autism experts who will address the conference virtually or in person, the bank said.
