Mihai is a civil engineer by profession, having been in this field for 23 years. Since 2008, when he learned that his son David has autism, Mihai and his wife started to be more and more interested in sharing our experience with other parents. Together they organized in 2011 a free entrance conference to share all our knowledge about autism and invited specialists, therapists, teachers to share and learn about this issue.The event attracted 500 participants and had great success. Since last year Mihai and his wife support their son David with his new project Faces of Autism. It is supposed to bring more awareness and hope on this field and to present to the world several autistic persons from Romania and later on from the world.
“If others are happy, we may be too.”
David Stescu, a 15 years old photographer captures images of children, young persons and adults with autism. Faces of Autism presents portraits of children, young people and adults with autism, but also aims to explore the many faces of autism, from nonverbal people to independent people, with an almost normal existence. When David was 2 years old, he was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders. David did not speak until he was 5 years old, had no eye contact and did not interact with those around him. The years that followed meant hours of daily therapy, allowing David to open up more and more. Now David speaks, reads, attends a regular school and is passionate about geography, travel and photography. The camera is his window to the world. The photos from this project are published online on social media networks but also on project’s website https://facesofautism.ro , along with the story of each child. The photos are taken exclusively by David, and the stories are written by David’s father, Mihai. Through his personal example, David wants to help change society’s awareness and understanding of autism. A recovered child, armed for life with a strong passion, becomes an active member of society, detaching himself from the stigma of a socially assisted person. Each portrait published here is a reason for society to support any individual in developing skills that allow him (or her) the relationship and integration necessary for everyday life. The team is also working on a documentary film that will contain the story of each person included in the project.
