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

[Visionary7903]

The subject of two recent posts, this one and this one, was the California-based nonprofit, Heart of Sailing Foundation. Heart of Sailing International aims to introduce special needs kids to sailing–creating fun and therapeutic opportunities for children and adults with developmental disabilities. The foundation has developed chapters in several locations, for example the Houston-Galveston Regional Program in Texas…

…Michelle Guppy, president of the Houston Autism Disability Network, took her 16-year-old son Brandon out last year.

“It was so life-changing for us,” Guppy said.

Right after their expedition Guppy wrote on her blog: “If we were to brave a sailing expedition on a typical charter sailboat, we would have to be prepared for well-meaning stares, and disciplinary glares,” she wrote, "No one would understand why we had to literally carry our son on the boat because the step up was ‘weird’ and ‘scary’ and ‘different’ to him.

“So much in our lives has been difficult–and that experience, that day, gave us hope! It was our therapy!” she wrote…

Here is a link to a video where Captain David McCabe explains what Heart of Sailing is about, how it is run, how it affects lives, and how viewers might be able to help: Year Round Heart of Sailing Kemah - YouTube

(sources: Come Sail Away…; http://www.wiredin.cc/talk_of_the_bay/3-10/heart-of-sailing.shtml)