The Lanzarotea Association reports that a 6-year-old child, diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), has been expelled from the conciliatory camp organized by the Arrecife City Council and managed by Jungle Kids Club.
The association describes it as "lamentable that in 2025 children are still being expelled from summer camps due to their condition, but what is even more astonishing and unacceptable is that this occurs precisely in a camp that is presented as conciliatory and inclusive, financed with public funds and designed —at least in theory— to support working families during the summer period."
According to them, "the child was removed after only two and a half days, without having received the specific support that their condition requires and with the sole justification that "this is not a therapeutic center" —literal words from the organization."
Thus, they explain that "inclusion is not about turning a camp into a therapeutic center, but about adapting ordinary environments so that all children can participate on equal terms."
"Once again, we, the mothers of autistic children, end up giving up our jobs during the summer because our children cannot "belong" —also literal words from the camp managers— to spaces where, in theory, all children should be," they continue.
Therefore, Lanzarotea requests the reinstatement of the minor to the camp or another with the necessary support and that a real and accessible alternative be guaranteed if the current model does not allow it. Likewise, they demand a thorough review of the access protocols, care, and inclusion in all programs financed with public funds.
"The exclusion of children with autism is not an exception. It is the direct consequence of the lack of planning, sensitivity, and real commitment to diversity. And we are tired of the emotional, economic, and social cost of this lack of institutional responsibility always falling on families (especially mothers)," they conclude.