The anniversary conference of the NAR in cooperation with the NVA was held on Saturday, Nov. 11, at the Vrije Universiteit of Amsterdam.
Review of the anniversary congress in 2023
The festive day focused on the theme "All autism, all different!", referring to the first survey conducted by the NAR in 2013 on behalf of the NVA. At the time, this survey provided an overview of the great diversity among people with autism. Ten years later, this topic is still relevant.
During the conference, diversity in culture, age and gender were discussed in depth. The various colors of autism were highlighted, and extensive attention was paid to the 10th anniversary of the NAR and the 45th anniversary of the NVA. You can view a summary of the conference on the NVA website.
The program offered lectures and panel discussions that highlighted the diversity of autism in different ways:
- The NAR by Sander Begeer
- Migration background by Birsen Basar
- Sexuality and gender identity by Jeroen Dewinter, Iris Westhoff and Sascha
- Identity by Manna Alma and Klaske van der Weide
- Aging by Hilde Geurts
- Wishes and limits by Frans Jacobs
In addition, the presentation of the Hannemieke Award and the Autism Friendliness Award took place. The day was enriched with a musical act and a mindfulness exercise. The well-known info market, at which the NAR was also present, gave visitors the chance to learn more about this year's theme.
To make the congress more accessible to everyone, the program started later and stopped earlier, making it more manageable for people with sensory sensitivity. The number of visitors was also limited. For those who wanted to follow the congress in a sensory safe way, the livestream gave the opportunity to follow all the lectures of the day live online.