The JoyDew Way
Adults with autism report being told they were “retarded”, “intellectually disabled” and that they had struggled for years in school. The majority are non-speaking or are unable to effectively communicate verbally. At the age of 21, things usually go from bad to worse as they hit the “21 Cliff” and lose the routine and support they had during their school years.
Without meaningful, reliable employment, they are isolated, require significant financial and other support, and lose hope for the future. It is equally brutal for their families, who say they feel the heavy, never-ending burden of caregiving and are terrified for their child’s future.
However, many people with autism possess outstanding sensory acuity, memory, pattern recognition and other valuable strengths that make them uniquely suited for high-value work such as pre-screening for cancer, robotics or detecting white-collar crime. Unfortunately, many are not able to operate effectively in traditional work environments due to communication and other challenges.
Philosophy
JoyDew’s disruptive “Autism 3.0” process is designed to redefine autism. It starts with understanding that the autism spectrum includes special gifts, presuming competence of the individuals, providing them with an autism-friendly environment with supportive staff and a community of friends, and ensuring that they are able to communicate expressively.
Approach
The organization’s specially trained staff execute a proprietary methodology and IP to identify and develop these unique gifts, map their support needs and come up with a personalized plan that defines a path to the individual’s desired career.
The company finds appropriate employment projects, trains, and then hires members to work in its autism-optimized environment with a community of friends for the rest of their working lives.
Member Perspective
"JoyDew provides me with knowledge, gives me the opportunity to socialize with frienfs, and helps me hone my employment skills. It is a wonderful place filled with so much more than I could possibly write. I've made frienfd who understand autism and understand me."
- Chris (1/5/2022)
Social Impact
This unleashes the latent gifts of this previously untapped talent pool for employer clients and society. More importantly, the increased self-sufficiency and household income measurably changes the quality of the lives of members and their families. Members experience renewed hope and faith in themselves as they gain an increased sense of self-worth as a valued employee and contributor to society and an increased sense of belonging as they develop true friendships in the community. They achieve total self-expression and improved mental and physical health. Their parents and guardians have more free time and less worry about the future of their children.
To date, 100% of JoyDew’s members, most of whom are non-speaking and all of whom were previously unemployed, are working in some capacity. Today they report feeling “smart”, “valued”, “enriched” and “grateful for having true friends for the first time in their life”.