On February 19, 2024, Public Defender Levan Ioseliani and Deputy Public Defender Irine Chikhladze met with parents of persons with autism and representatives of the parents' organizations.

At the meeting, parents of persons with autism spoke about the need for rehabilitation services for adults and the challenges they face due to the lack of such services. They emphasized the State's obligation to the implementation of services tailored to the individual needs of persons with autism.

The Public Defender spoke about the importance of the continuity of the rehabilitation services for ensuring independent living of persons with disabilities and their equal participation in society, and discussed the activities of the Office in the direction of introducing rehabilitation services for adults.

The Public Defender continues to work within the scope of his mandate and believes that it is necessary for the responsible state agencies, through coordinated efforts, with the involvement of persons with disabilities, representative organizations of persons with disabilities and those working on their issues, as well as experts of the relevant field, to specifically examine the individual needs of adults with autism, their specificities, and provide implementation of rehabilitation services tailored to them.

It should be noted that in December 2023, the Public Defender addressed the Parliament of Georgia in writing and asked to start a thematic study of the needs of people with autism aged 18 and older in order to identify the current challenges and develop recommendations for taking timely and effective steps.