'Agricultural specialisterne': rural employment revolution for those with Autism

[Visionary7903]

In an earlier post, I mentioned splinter skills and special interests in Autistic individuals and their potential utilisation in employment situations.

One innovative nonprofit that seeks to do such a thing is Erik’s Ranch & Retreats. The Experience Guide Program there is known as Erik’s Minnesota Adventures…

Of the hundreds of modern art exhibits at the Walker Art Center, the Andy Warhol silkscreen painting of Jackie Kennedy is one of T.J. Jameson’s favorites.
“See how the color blue changes across each of the panels?” Jameson asks the tour group he’s leading.
Such details don’t escape Jameson, who has a photographic memory and a passion for art.
He’s one of seven tour guides working for a fledgling Edina-based nonprofit that began providing jobs this summer to local young adults with autism, a developmental disorder that often affects social communication skills.

The program allows them to showcase their array of skills from horseback riding to art to encyclopedic knowledge of the local architecture scene. It also fills a vast employment need for the soaring population of autistic young adults, many of whom have just left the safety net of services provided by schools and who face an unfamiliar world.
“What we’re trying to do is more than just provide a job for adults with autism,” said Kathryn Nordberg, chief executive officer of Erik’s Ranch and Retreats, which is named after her son. “We’re trying to build a whole life.”
Advocates say the need is desperate.
“They are absolutely filling a huge void because there are not enough housing options and residential supports for adults across this country,” said Leslie Long, director of housing and adult services for Autism Speaks, a national advocacy group.
‘After I’m gone?’
Founded in 2008, Nordberg’s organization is building residential facilities for young adults with autism in Edina and in Paradise Valley, Mont.
Both locations will provide on-site jobs and accommodate paying guests who can go fly-fishing, skiing and hiking in Montana. In the Twin Cities, they can tour local museums, visit parks and participate in other urban offerings. Day tours are also offered.
Nordberg’s son, Erik, now 20, was diagnosed with autism when he was about 2. He couldn’t talk, he bit his hands, destroyed furniture and was oblivious to the world around him. After therapy, Erik now loves horses and music and can express his wants through mostly nonverbal forms of communication.
Still, Nordberg worries about his future: "At some point, you stop and ask yourself, “What’s going to happen to my child after I’m gone?'”

…Tour guides have assistants
When Jameson was a child, his mother, Laura, would let him push the buttons on all the toys at Target that made noise as a reward for good behavior.
His fascination with noises and moving objects is common among people with autism. It resonates in his artwork today.
A graduate of Dowling College in New York, he works with cigarette packs, bottle caps and other found objects to create artwork much in the same way his idol Robert Rauschenberg did.
Most of his work centers around busy city scenes, and features cars, buses and other modes of transportation.
“It’s kind of like – the emotion behind each one – I guess you could say is manic,” he said.
Like all of the organization’s Minnesota Adventures tour guides, Jameson has an assistant to help him. Participants are told that some guides may seem aloof, have a strong need for order, or make strange noises.
…Nordberg is working with local corporations to find volunteers to go on the tours, which are free but accept donations.
“When people volunteer for Habitat for Humanity, they’re building a house,” she said. “Here, they’re helping to build an entire person.”

Indeed, the nonprofit’s stunning new ranch in Montana’s Paradise Valley, due for completion in the next year, will offer a similar program…

…Residents who choose to become experience guides lead visitors and guests through experiential outings related to sports, the arts, history and more, sharing an adventure together. Activities may be as diverse as accompanying a resident on a trail ride while he or she explains horse breeds and care or preparing a gourmet meal with one of our resident sous chefs.

Through partnerships in the local community, Erik’s Ranch will provide opportunities for residents to work side-by-side with local experts, mentoring their success. The ultimate goal is to build skills and continued independence, aligning residents with what they love to do, and helping them learn to the best of their ability…

(sources: Latest news; http://www.eriksranch.org/livehere/montana/index.html)