Michelle Dee on autism: 'It's not a mental disability but more of a learning disability.'

Fresh from her one-month stint in London, Miss World Philippines 2019 Michelle Dee is back in Manila to do what she does best: spreading awareness on autism in the country.

That's why when she was announced as Autism Society Philippines's Goodwill Ambassador, the Kapuso actress turned beauty queen did not hold back in saying yes to the offer.

“The thing with being an advocate or an influencer is that you have a lot of people come to you and share their stories,” she told the media last Sunday, January 19.

She then narrated how she had a conversation with a local actor who witnessed first-hand how people in the spectrum tend to be a victim of bullying.

“This is one of the reasons why we actually released an anti-bullying campaign because they started copying people with autism.

“Because of the efforts of this actor and my efforts, people are starting to realize that it's not okay to do that. It's not okay to digitally bully people with these disabilities.”

Furthermore, Michelle was happy to say that although the country has yet to progress in terms of services given for the disabled the influence of social media has definitely helped in spreading awareness of the disability.

“The thing with being autistic is that it's not really a mental disability but more of a learning disability.

“It's still an ongoing process of trying to spread that message that being autistic doesn't mean it's in the same spectrum as being bipolar or being depressed. Because those you can acquire in your lifetime.

“But being autistic is something that you are born with.

“So, it's really a slow-paced movement and it's still something we're trying to get across.

“How far has the Philippines gone? I think we've come a long way from, let's say a decade ago, where people were still calling kids on the spectrum different names, different insults.

“And people nowadays are refraining from using that already which is a good sign.

“Just your own self-consciousness on how you act towards the world because change really starts within yourself and that's how you create influence.”

READ: Michelle Dee continues her advocacy for people with autism post-Miss World

LOOK: Michelle Dee is the Goodwill Ambassador of Autism Society Philippines