Orange Foundation: 30 Years Of Commitment To People With Autism Spectrum Disorders And Their Families
By Francois Giudice, Correspondent France
In 2021, the Orange Foundation crosses the milestone of 30 years of mobilization in raising awareness of autism, facilitating social integration and enabling better care for people with autism spectrum disorders and their families. Since 1991, the Orange Foundation has been the only corporate foundation to make autism a focus of its patronage.
In three decades, €30 million(US$35.29million) has been provided to support more than 2,350 projects in France, including more than 200 research programmes, 1,450 reception facilities and 24 inclusive housing initiatives. Every year, 3,500 people benefit from the support of the Orange Foundation in the autism sector.
On World Autism Awareness Day, Executive Director of CSR, Diversity and Solidarity at Orange, Deputy Chairwoman of the Orange Foundation, Elizabeth Tchoungui declared: “Since 1991, the Orange Foundation has considerably advanced the cause of autism, first in France, then in Africa. All of the projects supported over the years help ensure better care for people with autism as well as better support for their families and caregivers. I firmly believe in the potential of digital technology for these people, for their care, education and autonomy. They also have a lot to contribute to digital technology and, more broadly, to our society as a whole. This is why we wanted to take integration further by creating a specific program for the employment of people with autism with the desire to increase recruitment opportunities in digital professions.”
For more than 30 years, the Orange Foundation has been at the heart of the Group’s social commitment. Many employees are committed to making digital technology a factor of equal opportunity, including for people with autism spectrum disorders.
