Emptying Garbage. Seriously??

There've been several very good blogs, articles, and other helpful tidbits posted lately for families like ours who are doing the transition shuffle.  I'll try to share resources here whenever I come across them.  


Autism Speaks this week highlighted a Laura Shumaker post that talked about transition as a marathon as opposed to a sprint.  It was really a two-in-one post, since Shumaker also shared the comments of Caryn Sullivan's recent blog about her transition IEP meeting for her 20-year-old son. Sullivan was told that upon leaving school, he could spend 4 hours a week doing clean up at a light industrial facility. I completely understood her reaction: "Seriously? Four hours per week emptying garbage? That is the end game, after the scorched earth attempt we made to socialize and educate him, at great expense to taxpayers and ourselves? He has skills and brainpower."  

I had the same experience last April when told that our son Fickle Fan's job experience this year would be picking up recycling around the school. Seriously? After 14 years of an incredible struggle to educate and include him?? Tears were shed. I actually complained enough that we got an upgrade. Sort of. For the last 4 months he's been shredding paper at a home inspection company. While I'm glad he's had the chance to go out to a job site, I don't think it's one where he's had the chance to interact with other employees or demonstrate his strengths and skills. I had envisioned that work study would be an opportunity for Fickle Fan to job shadow at various sites around the city, try out different work environments, and explore the world of work. Not quite. At least not yet. 


This could be Fickle Fan's last year in school. If all he has on that resume is picking up garbage and shredding papers, I'm concerned that all he'll get is more of the same when he leaves school.   


We have some very promising programs here in Indiana, putting young adults with developmental disabilities into better jobs in their communities. I really want to walk down that road, not the one that leads to the four hours a week picking up garbage. Otherwise I may need to quit my day job and begin a new life as job developer/coach/placement specialist.  Scary.  I'll keep you posted. 


As a family we are, after all...moving on.