You chose to provide a short written description (up to 300 words) explaining how your organization makes an impact in the community.SEEDs for Autism's mission is to empower and educate youth and adults impacted by autism so they can reach their greatest potential. Our name stands for Success through Education, Exploration, and Development. SEEDs was founded to provide individualized mentorship in education, functional living and vocational development. SEEDs staff provide comprehensive programming to strengthen concentration, teach responsibilities, increase understanding of job ethics and build self-esteem for youth, starting at age 14, and adults diagnosed with autism. The diagnosis rate of autism is currently 1 in 31 and continues to rise. This demonstrates the need for more programming as autism is a lifelong disability and requires more supports for teens and young adults.
Compared to their peers with other types of disabilities, young adults with autism have the lowest rate of employment. Our programs include job development training, vocational rehabilitation, social opportunities and summer programs. SEEDs for Autism has worked with 1000’s of families and offers over 20 programs. SEEDs has worked hard to build a very diverse training space with diverse learning opportunities.
Autistic adults often experience a "delayed launch" into the workforce, with many struggling to find work soon after high school. Even when employed, they are often in part-time roles with wages lower than their peers and often work below their skill level. Estimates often cite 50–90% of autistic adults are unemployed or underemployed. This funding will support our current vocational programming for autistic youth and adults to lead them towards independence and gainful employment.
A participant shared, "I now know skills I never knew I already had. SEEDs just coaxed it out of my brain. I was the learner. They engage you personally where you can communicate and learn in a non threatening environment. The opportunity to make new friends keeps me wanting to come back!"
Social media handleshttps://www.seedsforautism.org/
https://www.facebook.com/SEEDSforAutism
https://www.instagram.com/seeds_for_autism
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsrMiJCxKSJFS7IKOSrTkzA
https://www.linkedin.com/company/seeds-for-autism/