By Dan Burns

Where will our ASD kids work? Adults on the spectrum are 80% unemployed or underemployed (Easter Seals). The launch ramp to the working world is still under construction, and job opportunities haven’t kept pace with the need.

One solution: parent-driven microenterprises – job programs for our kids. Here’s a project I’m working on: a hydroponic wall garden constructed from recycled materials. It includes a water recirculation system, a wine bottle grow-light, and a resident goldfish. The garden can be populated with aromatic plants, anti-fungals such as oregano, anti-inflammatories, and fresh herbs like peppermint and parsley to help soothe damaged guts and calm restless sleep. Teens and young adults on the spectrum can manufacture, sell, and ship wall garden kits. They can collect recyclable materials, craft the components, package the kits, and create advertising art and IT support. It’s a project broad enough to engage the interests, talents, and abilities of teens and young adults up and down the spectrum.  Appleseed Ventures will pre-sell ten kits, build twenty, and ramp up from there.

First, the prototype.  For a glimpse of this work in progress, take a look at Wall Garden Wizards Storyboards:




Wall garden work will not cover everyone’s room and board … but this project and others like it could qualify our young adults for a future federal program to help fund their services. One model is the CLASS Program -- Community Living Assistance Services and Supports -- a little-known provision of the Affordable Care Act, drafted to establish a national, voluntary insurance program for long-term care. To qualify for benefits, a teen or young adult would pay as little as a $5/month and earn at least $100/month for three years. The federal benefit: around $2000/month (plus or minus $500/month) for life.