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| Jimmy and company at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts with his painting Girl with Cork II |
My daughter, Kelly,
is entering her last year of college and our conversations have turned to the
issues that many college seniors face: What am I going to do when I graduate
and where am I going to live? How much money will I earn? Will my work be
rewarding? Kelly is an outstanding student, college athlete and has a
charismatic personality. Truly, the
world is her oyster. I have no doubt that she will find her way with great
success discovering her own answers to these questions. These questions and answers to them are
significantly different for Jimmy and the growing numbers of young adults with
autism.
In April of Jimmy’s
last year of pre-school, I was concerned about the resources available for
him in Kindergarten. My belief was that there were many kids in
the spectrum that would place demands on the system. So, I made an appointment with our Public
School District Director of Special programs. I shared with him my concerns. I asked him what his plan was to
support these kids. He responded, “the
demographics just don’t indicate that we will have many kids entering the
kindergarten class in the fall with autism.”
I thought that couldn’t be right.
I see these kids on the playground and in my community. I realized that there was a huge lag in what
was being reported. I suggested that he
take a closer look. Brian and I offered
to help secure outside financial help if it was needed. In July just short of two month before Jimmy
entered kindergarten, I received a call from the Director of Special
Programs. He said, “You were right. We increased from 2 to 12 kids with autism and we have no funding to support these kids in the fall.” I was not
surprised. Brian and I got to work. Bremer Foundation stepped up to the plate
with start-up funding for a new autism classroom.
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| Girl From Egypt Painting - 24"x30" Acrylic on Canvas 2012 |
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| Girl in the Forrest - 24"x30" Acrylic on Canvas 2012 |
Like me, other families are seeing the writing on the wall. Governmental services are miles behind in what they offer. We can’t settle for less nor should families have to settle. The time is now to bring to light what families want and need for their young adults with autism. I have met some incredible people who are helping to illustrate the need and are creating solutions. Privately funded organizations are popping up to bring creative opportunities to the table as well as to make efforts to educate our communities on what people with autism are truly capable of doing while helping communities understand where supports will be needed. These are new employment and living models.
Erik’s Ranch and Retreats is creating unique living and career opportunities for people with autism. Erik’s Ranch and Retreat founder/CEO, Kathryn Nordberg, is the mother of a young adult with autism. She is using her expertise in the Assisted Living industry and translating what she has learned to people with autism. Kathryn and her team are working hard to understand the unique skills and deficits that are present in people with autism. In efforts to understand these realities, better solutions are being discovered and put into action. This concept reminds me of the Johnny Mercer song – “Accentuate the Positive” – we need to be accentuating the positive skills and interests of people with autism while minimizing and reducing the negative pieces that are part of autism and the way people with autism function.
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| Good Bye Ron - 24"x30" Acrylic on Canvas 2012 |
Minnesota Autism Society CEO Sherrie Kenny and her team are
partnering with large Minnesota employers; 3M, Cargill, Target, Best Buy,
Medtronic, Wells Fargo and Wallgreens to host an Autism and Employment Forum on October 9th, 2012. Sherrie is also the mother of a young adult
with autism. Clearly, job creation is
on Sherrie’s mind. We need to develop
employment opportunities that will allow people with autism to earn a decent
living with hopes of becoming financially independent.
The story is personal
for Minnesota writer and film director, Shelli Ainsworth. The independent film, Stay Then Go, will begin filming next week in Minnesota. It is
the fictional story of a mother and her autistic son. Shelli is mother of artist Dietrich Sieling who has autism.
This film highlights the many challenges families face and tugs at the
emotion of moving through life managing autism.
I believe that the production of this film is particularly timely, as it
will help illustrate realities and hopefully generate discussion and action for
solutions. Jimmy and Dietrich’s artwork
is on the Stay Then Go website. The cast
includes Janel Moloney of West Wing and 30 Rock fame as the mother and Matthew
Kane as her son whose feature film The Dinosaur Project will be released this
summer. If you live in the metro Twins
Cities, keep your eyes open for filming in August and September.
I have offered
examples of Minnesota families who see hope and opportunity in autism. So, how do we respond to the statement: So
many questions, so few opportunities, so few resources: How will our
communities find productive solutions for the growing population of young
adults with autism?
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| Brian (Dad) and Jimmy with his painting Girl with Cork II at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts |
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