The Power of Love
Every April Autism Speaks celebrates World Autism Month.
The Autism Society of America, the United State’s oldest leading grassroots autism organization, is celebrating Autism Acceptance Month, previously known as Autism Awareness Month.
Whatever you call it, the idea is to increase understanding and acceptance of people with autism. To build a better awareness of the signs, symptoms, and realities of autism.
When asked why the shift in the name from awareness to acceptance, Christopher Banks, President and CEO of the Autism Society of America says, “While we will always work to spread awareness, words matter as we strive for autistic individuals to live fully in all areas of life. As many individuals and families affected by autism know, acceptance is often one of the biggest barriers to finding and developing a strong support system.”
It is nice to focus on autism in the month of April. As a family affected by autism, we live it every day, of every week, of every month. Writing this blog is my small way to bring awareness and education to those I reach. Hopefully by telling our story, I am doing my small part to teach more love and acceptance and less hate and stigmatism.
According to the World Health Organization, more than 3.5 million Americans live with an Autism Spectrum Disorder. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also note that around one percent of people have a form of autism in the United States.
This year the United Nations plans on hosting a virtual panel discussion titled, “Inclusion in the Workplace: Challenges and Opportunities in a Post-Pandemic World” on April 8th, 2021. The panel will consist of individuals on the autism spectrum who have personally experienced challenges in the employment market, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The lack of opportunities of employment for those with autism or other intellectual/developmental disabilities (IDD) is devastating. The unemployment rate is 80%, with only 15% of those employed considered full time. The numbers are most likely more disheartening because of the pandemic. I know that Travis lost his job due to store closure.
Last week on the Today Show, Craig Melvin highlighted a business called, “Popcorn for the People”. A father of an autistic son bought a local popcorn shop and turned it into a nonprofit that employs autistic adults. Popcorn for the People has thirty employees ranging in age from 21-56. They have a waitlist of about forty additional people waiting for an opportunity to work there.
Steve Bier, the father, does not take a salary. All of the popcorn sales go to paying employees. Every three bags purchased provides an hour of meaningful employment. Bier says that it is an ideal business for this purpose because popcorn is not seasonal and it isn’t dangerous to make. If you’re interested in supporting this business you can find them at www.popcornforthepeople.com. Just know that they are currently sold out of many flavors because I was apparently not the only person that headed to their website to place an order after the story aired!
I have heard many stories of parents starting a business for the purpose of employing their children with disabilities. I have even seen a commercial on TV about a mom that started a soap business because her autistic son found baths calming as a child.
Rising Tide Car Wash is a business with a similar story. Founder and CEO John D’Eri was inspired by watching his son Andrew struggle to find his place in the world. Per www.risingtidecarwash.com, “As most families affected by autism often lose sleep over, John spent countless hours thinking about what Andrew would do when he was no longer there to support him. There were virtually no opportunities for him after he aged out of the school system. Then in 2011, when Andrew was 21, John came up with the novel idea of buying a car wash to employ Andrew and others like him.
In a journey with many twists and turns, we bought a failing carwash and transformed it into a wildly profitable, high-performing service organization that customers love to support and employees love to work for. Our retention rate is five times our competitors. The struggling business that we bought in 2012 was only washing 35,000 cars per year. Rising Tide is now a thriving operation that washes more than 150,000 cars per year.”
Rising Tide now has a second location. They employ 100 people, 80 of them with autism. They are also proud that they have 75 alumni with autism that are now working at new jobs in the community. Their story has been featured on the Today Show, Nightly News with Lester Holt, National Geographic, Inc. and Entrepreneur OWN.
Another example of a parent starting a business for their son is The Chocolate Spectrum. Per www.thechocolatespectrum.com, “We are a family owned and operated artisan chocolate company. It was started by Valerie for her son, Blake, a young man with autism, in her home kitchen. In 2016 we moved into our shop in Jupiter, Florida. We started with one young man and now have over 15 differently-abled individuals in our program. Our purpose is to offer delicious chocolate confections while also helping individuals with special needs. We accomplish this in two ways: by providing training for individuals with developmental disabilities and by providing employment opportunities.”
Have you heard of John’s Crazy Socks? I know that I have shared their business information on Facebook and challenged my followers to make a purchase. With over 2000 choices there is a pair of socks for everyone! Per www.johnscrazysocks.com, “John’s Crazy Socks is a father-son venture inspired by co-founder John Lee Cronin, a young man with Down syndrome. John’s affinity for crazy socks paired with his love of making people smile made our mission clear: we want to spread happiness.
We have a social mission and a retail mission and they are indivisible. We want to show what is possible when you give someone a chance. Every day, we demonstrate what people with intellectual disabilities can do. And we believe in giving back: we donate five percent of our earnings to the Special Olympics as they have played a vital role in John’s development.” Over half of their employees have a differing ability.
Here are a few more:
Stuttering King Bakery - in 2012, Matt Cottles and his mother Peggy launched out of their home kitchen. They specialize in muffins, brownies, blondies, bars, cookies and scones, specifically for event and business catering in the Phoenix area. “We want to impact the autistic world and serve as an inspiration for other autistic people to be productive, active members of the community. Matt plans to open his own brick-and-mortar bakery, where he’ll employ and teach the art of baking to others with autism.”
Spectrum Designs - customized apparel company, 75% of workforce is on the autism spectrum.
Zenaviv - markets art work of individuals with disabilities, paying them 66% of art’s proceeds. Their mission is to promote financial independence, lift self-esteem and improve lives. They sell prints, magnets, greeting cards, mugs and totes. Harish Bikmal has two boys, the youngest has autism. He cannot do much on his own, but what he can do is paint. Harish and his eldest son launched Zenaviv in 2016 .
Designs by Siri - handmade jewelry. Their vision is to help provide a meaningful and productive life for people with autism. We believe that people with autism are talented and capable of producing high-quality goods, given the right environment, training, encouragement and support. Siri’s mother helps with the business and even writes a blog!
Stimtastic - per their website, “affordable stim toys, chewable jewelry and fidgets for autistic adults and children, owned by an autistic person. Stimtastic celebrates stimming as a natural part of life on the spectrum. 10% of proceeds go back to the autism community in the form of charitable donations and direct giving.
SMILE Biscotti - Supporting My Independent Living Expense, started by Matt Resnik out of his parents kitchen in 2013. “Through his tireless determination and one heck of a recipe, SMILE has transformed into a small business phenomenon. Matt is still on the journey of achieving his independence, but SMILE marks a big step towards getting him there.
I am humbled by the time, effort and financial investment parents put in for their children to have the opportunity for a meaningful place to work. These businesses are an example of the power of parents. The power of love.
I hope that the time will come that Travis will find successful employment. He grew up in my business, but was never able to participate in any way. He was only seven when I sold my Hallmark store. I owned two Cookies by Design franchise cookie bakeries for ten years, but the constant commotion and noise was more than he could handle.
Travis needs to find something that is of great interest to him to keep him focused and in good spirits. I will continue to keep my eyes open and nose to the ground to help him find his purpose. I remind him that telling his story gives his life purpose. Being a son, a brother, an uncle, a cousin and a friend gives his life purpose.
When you’re in the market for a gift or a treat for yourself, consider supporting one of the above businesses, or check google to find more. Most every option available here locally has recently closed. I have ordered online from a few of the businesses above. I’m sure they would love any support they can get!
“Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope.” - Maya Angelou
“Surrender is faith that the power of love can accomplish anything even when you cannot foresee the outcome.” - Deepak Chopra
“The depth of the love of parents for their children cannot be measured. It is like no other relationship. It exceeds concern for life itself. The love of a parent for a child is continuous and transcends heartbreak and disappointment.” - James E. Faust
“There are places in the heart you don’t even know exist until you love a child.” - Anne Lamott