Connecticut program gives career opportunities to adults with autism

From The News Times:

DANBURY, Conn. -- A grass-roots effort is giving new hope to adults with autism who are looking for career opportunities.

"In the next couple of years there will be a wave of kids on the autistic spectrum who will be getting out of school and looking for employment," said Joan Volpe, the vice president of Connecticut services for the Bethel-based Ability Beyond Disability. "And we don't have enough programs in place designed to help them be successful."

That's why Volpe and others who are equally concerned created Growing Possibilities, a not-for-profit business enterprise that provides employment and vocational training for those with autism, as well as other disabilities, through growing and selling roses.

The effort began with the father of an autistic child who was worried about his son's future.

Jim Lyman, of Madison, said he had many sleepless nights, with his 17-year-old son, Eli, getting toward the end of available educational services, and knowing there were no vocational services for autistic adults.

"That's the biggest concern of parents who have children on the spectrum," Lyman said. "When I tell them about this program, they are usually incredibly emotional."

Lyman, who has a background in agriculture, was able to create a business model with other autism advocates who had similar concerns, and it eventually made its way to Ability Beyond Disability.

Around the same time, a longtime friend of Lyman -- Tom Pinchbeck, who owns Pinchbeck's Rose Farm in Guilford -- decided to close his business because of foreign competition. It's the last rose farm in New England.

It was a natural fit.

"We shut down in October, and then Jim came to me and said he had an idea," Pinchbeck said.

Now flowers from the farm are again in bloom. The first batch made its way to Stew Leonard's in Danbury last week. The plan is to train and hire about 25 people with autism and other disabilities to cultivate, cut and package the flowers for sale.

The blooms sell for about $12.99 a dozen, said Tom Anrico, president of the Danbury Stew Leonard's store.

"We are really glad to have Pinchbeck roses back on our shelves," he said. "They are a great product, with a beautiful bloom that produces a fragrance like no other."

Anrico added that not only does having the roses at the store provide a quality product for his customers, it also gives Stew's a chance to help the community.

"I've been with this store for nearly 30 years, and as long as I can remember the giving back to the community has been very important to the Leonard family," he said. "That's why we try to buy as much of our products as possible from local farmers."

Volpe said she hopes the operation can earn enough revenue in the coming years to fund other not-for-profit business enterprises, with the goal of providing more jobs for autistic adults.

"The sky is really the limit," she said. "We're really open to just about anything at this point."

Lyman said other farmers he's spoken to about the project will be eagerly watching to see how it does in the next couple of years.

"All the people I spoke with said the same thing: 'Once you've proven the model come see us. We'd love to be part of the program,'" Lyman said. "I was really amazed at the response.

"Literally hundreds of adults on the autistic spectrum can be employed through the program. But that's the next step. The first step is to prove it."