L
laltobel
Guest
Massachusetts
I have a 15 year old son who is mildly autistic. He is above average intelligence and very artistic. He displays none of the typical characteristics (or behavior) of autism and is in the public school system. As a matter of fact he is being kicked out of special ed program because he is doing so well. His main issue is that his socialization skills are poor.
Our town recreation department hires people 15 and up as summer workers. My wife offered a donation to the recreation department to cover the cost of hiring my son to help out with crafts, etc. (The idea here is to help improve his socialization skills). She had mentioned to them that he was mildly autistic and they commented that they were not a "babysitting service" (my son does not need to be babysat). Josh (my son) has attended art classes at the Worcester Art Museum, is very good with young children, has high recommendations (letters) from several teachers at his school and has even won art awards. He is more than capable of performing the job.
My belief is that the recreation department has no handicapped or people with disabilities working for them. And their actions in refusing to hire my son reflects a general policy in the department.
My main concern is trying to get the job for my son and I'm looking for some advice in pursuing this.
I have a 15 year old son who is mildly autistic. He is above average intelligence and very artistic. He displays none of the typical characteristics (or behavior) of autism and is in the public school system. As a matter of fact he is being kicked out of special ed program because he is doing so well. His main issue is that his socialization skills are poor.
Our town recreation department hires people 15 and up as summer workers. My wife offered a donation to the recreation department to cover the cost of hiring my son to help out with crafts, etc. (The idea here is to help improve his socialization skills). She had mentioned to them that he was mildly autistic and they commented that they were not a "babysitting service" (my son does not need to be babysat). Josh (my son) has attended art classes at the Worcester Art Museum, is very good with young children, has high recommendations (letters) from several teachers at his school and has even won art awards. He is more than capable of performing the job.
My belief is that the recreation department has no handicapped or people with disabilities working for them. And their actions in refusing to hire my son reflects a general policy in the department.
My main concern is trying to get the job for my son and I'm looking for some advice in pursuing this.