An autistic student group laid the foundation for Autistic Community Malta (ACM), which aims to be Malta’s first autistic-led NGO. In this interview, ACM Liaison Officer Jacob Callus describes ACM’s efforts to build youth-centred autistic community through inclusion, acceptance, and empowerment.
Interview by Els Van Beneden
Edited by Maya Parson
Could you briefly introduce ACM?
Autistic Community Malta (ACM) is a young autism organisation founded in 2025. We grew out of the Autistic Student Community, which had been active at the University of Malta since 2022. As we started reaching more and more adults, young people and even parents…we wanted to use our knowledge and experience more widely. We now focus mainly on young people aged 13 to 30…We are still in the process of organising, and are working towards official registration as a voluntary organisation.
Our three core values are inclusion, acceptance, and empowerment. Inclusion should not be a buzzword, but standard practice in work, education, care, and more. Acceptance of everyone is needed, not merely tolerance. Empowerment helps people who have been let down to find the motivation to move forward in their lives and work.
What kind of activities do you organise?
We have film evenings, presentation nights where autistic people can share their special interests, and meet-ups in autism-friendly places. We also organise community chat sessions — every two to three months — where we talk about what is on our minds, and support and help each other. Everything is, of course, confidential. On average we reach around ten people per activity.
Does ACM have partnerships?
We work with the University of Malta on events, with the University Students’ Council on campaigns, and with other disability and mental health organisations. For example, we have contributed to an autism/ADHD awareness campaign at the university through information fairs and online campaigns, for which we provide materials. The more visible we become, the more contacts we gain.
Do you have any influence on policy?
We do not yet have direct influence on policy, but we do receive support from policy circles. We hope to grow and to build relationships with policymakers.
What are you most proud of?
Our community chats, where people feel able to open up to one another.
What is the situation like for autistic people in Malta?
For children, the diagnostic process works reasonably well; for (young) adults it is much more difficult as assessment is available only in private practices and can quickly cost up to €1,000, which is unaffordable for many. On top of that, there are waiting lists.
In addition, many autistic people struggle with loneliness, exclusion, and bullying. There are some initiatives, such as youth cafés and a Facebook group for adults, which are supported by ACM. The National Youth Agency also puts in a great deal of effort.
In education there is already a strong drive towards inclusion. There are learning support educators (one-to-one) and resource classrooms (with adapted lighting, acoustics, etc.) in mainstream education. There are fewer and fewer special schools, so most autistic children attend mainstream schools. That does not mean everything is going well; there is still work to be done in education too.
What do you expect from EUCAP membership?
We are not yet actively involved. This interview is our first real introduction, but we hope to be able to contribute a lot. We also hope that EUCAP will provide us with a platform, increase our connections with autistic people across Europe, and allow us to take part in European partnerships.
What challenges do you face?
It is not easy to find people who are able to engage in advocacy work alongside their jobs and personal lives; this is particularly true in the autistic community, where it can be difficult to sustain commitments. The administrative workload is also a challenge.
What are ACM’s plans for the future?
Our goal is to become the first and leading autistic-led NGO in Malta.
Thank you, Jacob!
ACM At a glance
Name: Autistic Community Malta
Country: Malta
Year established: 2025
Staff/Membership: Executive Committee plus volunteers
Target group: Autistic young people
Core values: Inclusion, acceptance, and empowerment
Communication: Facebook, Instagram, website under construction
Funding: Will seek funding when they have official NGO status
PREVIOUS EUCAP MEMBER INTERVIEWS
APVA (Portugal) Raquel Tavares Lebre
PAS (Netherlands) Robert van der Gun
Organiserade Autister (Sweden) Daniel Grahn, Johannes Sandqvist, and Johan Sveno
ASK (Croatia) Kosjenka Petek & Zrinka Sinkovic
suntAutist (Romania) Maria Ivănescu
A-Centrum (Slovakia) Viera Hincová
ARGH (Scotland) Kabie Brook
CEPAMA (Spain) Carmen Molina
CLE (France) Thibault Corneloup & Hélène Queyras
Autisme Digitaal (Netherlands) Frederik Boven Stichting
