As an international campaign to protect people with albinism gains steam, Australians affected by the genetic condition will gather to celebrate International Albinism Awareness Day on Monday, June 13.

More than 1300 Australians are affected by albinism, which has a frequency of one in 17,000 in this country. The genetic condition, which arises from a lack of pigment in the skin, hair and eyes, is linked to pale skin, white hair and poor eyesight, often in the range of legal blindness.

In popular culture, people with albinism are often depicted as evil or supernatural. Dr Shari Parker wants to set the record straight about the condition and remind others that widespread inaccuracies about albinism should be challenged wherever they appear.

The Albinism Fellowship of Australia (AFA) is a national, non-profit organization established in 2005. It is run by volunteers who have albinism or been personally touched by albinism in some way. The AFA’s key purpose is to provide support, education and fellowship to those with albinism, parents of children with albinism as well as their families and friends. While the albinism community in Australia is only small, the AFA provides a united voice to encourage productive developments and support within business, government and media. The AFA is a registered charity.

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July 17th, 2017, 10:48 pm