Son with autism inspired crusade

CHARITY hero Sajida Ahmed is fighting prejudices against special needs children after her son Omar was diagnosed with autism.

The former social worker runs a group for Asian woman who are struggling to find acceptance for their children in some of the more traditional sectors of the community.

Asian women are often shunned if they give birth to babies with disabilities.

But when her own son was diagnosed Sajida refused to be ashamed. She has now helped hundreds of women like her.

The Waltham Forest Asian Mothers Group was started in the early 1980s by mums who turned to each other for support because they were being held responsible for their offspring’s disability or learning difficulty. Sajida said: “Some women in our community are told that, since their children came from them, the disability lies with them, that they are somehow to blame.

“It is the same attitude that makes men blame their wives for the birth of a girl, rather than the preferred boy. “It seems that in countries where there are facilities and services for the disabled there’s less stigma.”

In Sajida’s native Pakistan she has set up a school for children with learning difficulties, which trains them to make a living from crafts such as candlemaking or paintings.

Back in London she is a lifeline for dozens of families, offering support through benefit advice, classes, trips and outings, play schemes and weekend breaks for children.

Her work is inspired by autistic Omar, now 44. She said: “I don’t take prejudice when it comes to my son, I never have. I don’t ask for respect for him, I demand it.”

Sajida is a huge believer in inclusion and says: “All sections of society should accept everyone as they are.

“I remember years ago a young boy in a wheelchair who was desperate to go ice-skating, so I took him.

“I put his wheelchair on the ice and he loved whizzing around. Before long, some teenagers came over and asked if they could push him around. They all ended up having tons of fun n– – and that’s what it’s all abo about.”

Fighting prejudice

Sajida with son Omar

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