Last week I wrote about Dane’s jobs. This week I’m navigating the system.
Dane’s diagnosis is Autism, Epilepsy and MMR. I was told that he would never read or do math, and that I just needed to accept it.
In good Krista style I told them all to Fuck Off and walked out.
We’ve never looked back. I hired teachers to come to my house and teach Dane in between his seizures and we’ve spent the rest of our time traveling, gardening, cooking and finding joy in our journey.
Today Dane is 18 and needs a job coach. Sadly, I cannot afford one. So here I lay out the 2 paths.
1.) I’m told I can enroll him back in the local public school and put him in a transition program, where they have a partnership with Walgreens and a group of “ability” kids who go work there while being supervised. On their off days they attend life skills classes. So I am suppose to take my kid who got himself a paying job at a real hardware store and put him in a group employment that’s essentially being babysat at a job that the school district has to fund? Then send him to classes where he is bored off his ass because he already cooks, cleans, washes, banks, and plans everything in his life?! I have called Easter Seals, Department of Rehab, Ability First and my local regional Canter. Everyone tells me there’s nothing they can do to help me because he is the responsibility of the school district until he is 22. These people make me crazy.
2.) I DO IT! I continue to pretend I am a job coach and work it out until he gets there. It’s definitely the more difficult road but it’s always proven to be the most beneficial for Dane. But I can’t help but think, what if I had a real job? What if I had a physical issue and couldn’t do this for him? What if these companies only allow real certified coaches?
What happens to the population of young adults that don’t fit in the SPED young adult system? What happens to the population of kids that do have skills to have a job with guidance? Where is this guidance supposed to come from? I feel I am being punished for taking responsibility for my child and needing help now. Is this the population of adults we see on the streets not living up to their potential because they need that little extra help or to do so?
Dane wants to be a positive contributor to society. He wants to work and have a pension. He never wants to retire or be fired. HE WANTS TO WORK. He has a work ethic. He just needs supported. Our society and system fails so many amazing people, it astounds me. I refuse to allow Dane to be one of them. I will find a way.