My 20 year old, multiple-disabled son will be taking the first large step in helping to put together an Autistic community within an already existing community. He has the down payment [from pooper-scooping, dogwalking, collecting cans from fields,etc.] from saving since he was nine years old[ he is, at this point, unable to work a "real" job,[ just a few hours a week at our shop in order to have income to report] to put down about 40% on a fixer-upper home in Pueblo Colorado.He plans to purchase in the spring. Then he plans to rent it out for a year or two. In a couple of years, Bobby and I plan on selling our home in eastern Colorado, which we currently rent out, and purchase 2 homes in Pueblo. As far as our families' aquisition of property for the community, that will be our start. There are other families planning to also purchase homes in Pueblo, some for group living [like we are] and some to purchase a home for only their families but who would greatly desire to be part of an Autistic community.
So, we're two or three years out. And, because of severe illness the odds are good that I will already be dead before this is actually starting to grow. That is okay [well, in some ways] because there are others working on this as well.
Every day I am doing SOMETHING,no matter how small, to move this project forward. I have been doing quite a bit of faux granite countertop painting [gorgous! looks real] on the 50 year old mobile homes in a park by the shop. These are old,beat-up trailers who have probably NEVER been remodeled. Now with beautiful, sparkling,granite looking countertops, there is something a bit "twilite zoneish" about the whole thing but everyone is happy.
And this is advancing the dream how? Many ways. I am teaching the skill to others,and one of them is actually already making money by granitizing SUV's and fifth wheels. this person,I HOPE will be a member of our community,but whether or not, he is an Autistic person earning money for the first time in his life. When we purchase our own homes in Pueblo, we can fix them up [faux granite just one of many skills we will have] invite NT neighbors over to any one of the homes for our monthly "And now you can see how awesome Autistics are" gatherings, [ members of the Autistic community who are uncomfortable around crowds, no problem. We'll still pass out your laptop repair business cards, and hey, it's so nice that you are providing some transport to some of us who cannot drive] where we can get leads on doing other peoples homes for money.[ maybe some of our unique and lovely jewelry we have designed will look especially nice against the gleaming "granite."]
So, actually I have been working a number of days on faux granite. Today I will be baking cookies and later bringing them downtown to the homeless. We want to eat yummy food in Pueblo, and maybe sell some of it, so, I need to keep up on my baking skills. Estimates are that about 30% of the homeless are Autistic. Many of them are not drug addicts or alcoholics. Many have no major mental illness but are Autistic people who just need a home...maybe in Pueblo?
So, we're two or three years out. And, because of severe illness the odds are good that I will already be dead before this is actually starting to grow. That is okay [well, in some ways] because there are others working on this as well.
Every day I am doing SOMETHING,no matter how small, to move this project forward. I have been doing quite a bit of faux granite countertop painting [gorgous! looks real] on the 50 year old mobile homes in a park by the shop. These are old,beat-up trailers who have probably NEVER been remodeled. Now with beautiful, sparkling,granite looking countertops, there is something a bit "twilite zoneish" about the whole thing but everyone is happy.
And this is advancing the dream how? Many ways. I am teaching the skill to others,and one of them is actually already making money by granitizing SUV's and fifth wheels. this person,I HOPE will be a member of our community,but whether or not, he is an Autistic person earning money for the first time in his life. When we purchase our own homes in Pueblo, we can fix them up [faux granite just one of many skills we will have] invite NT neighbors over to any one of the homes for our monthly "And now you can see how awesome Autistics are" gatherings, [ members of the Autistic community who are uncomfortable around crowds, no problem. We'll still pass out your laptop repair business cards, and hey, it's so nice that you are providing some transport to some of us who cannot drive] where we can get leads on doing other peoples homes for money.[ maybe some of our unique and lovely jewelry we have designed will look especially nice against the gleaming "granite."]
So, actually I have been working a number of days on faux granite. Today I will be baking cookies and later bringing them downtown to the homeless. We want to eat yummy food in Pueblo, and maybe sell some of it, so, I need to keep up on my baking skills. Estimates are that about 30% of the homeless are Autistic. Many of them are not drug addicts or alcoholics. Many have no major mental illness but are Autistic people who just need a home...maybe in Pueblo?
