Shannon Hill started a business in Saskatoon In April with her teenage son in mind.
She launched the gift-boxing business "鈥� in an effort to give 18-year-old Colby Hill, who has autism, meaningful employment.
鈥淣inety per cent of people with autism are unemployed or underemployed,鈥� Shannon Hill told 麻豆传媒. 鈥淭hat's an epidemic of people who not employed or not able to be supported in a workplace.鈥�
She鈥檚 among parents who are becoming entrepreneurs to create jobs for their children with autism because they say businesses aren鈥檛 hiring them.
One in 66 children are diagnosed with an autism and one of the biggest worries for parents is what their kids will do for work when they grow up.
In Canada, the vast majority of people on the spectrum are unemployed, with workplaces afraid to hire them, unable or unwilling to accommodate the hours to provide the extra help they might need.
Hill鈥檚 business mails gift and one of Colby鈥檚 tasks is to help fill the boxes. The company is now taking orders and has already shipped out 20 boxes. The company is even listed on Shopify.
鈥淭his is something he can do and 鈥� he can say, 鈥業 can have a job,鈥欌�� she said. Colby is being shadowed right now but the hope is that he鈥檒l be able to mail the products himself.
Then there鈥檚 , a furniture-assembly company in Edmonton created with the same idea in mind. The business enlists Brad Fremmerlid, 30, to quickly build IKEA furniture or BBQ appliances, his father said.
鈥淚t brought his level of interaction, communication and happiness way up,鈥� said his father, Mark Fremmerlid. 鈥淚t gives him a place in society where he feels good.鈥�
Over the past five years, he estimates his son has made about $40,000 from his projects. Part of this money is used to pay some of the travel expenses of Brad鈥檚 support worker who drives him to each job.
Some suggest self-employment might be one of the few ways to tackle the dismal unemployment rate among developmentally-delayed young adults.
Another example is the non-profit gourmet popcorn business, , started by Steven Bier from New Jersey. He felt his son Sam was being underutilized, simply pushing around empty shopping carts at his old job.
鈥淣o one is stepping up to help. The government means well but the government can only do so much,鈥� Bier said, praising some 鈥渒ind-hearted鈥� businesses that do hire those with intellectual differences.
The company has grown to where it sells the flavoured popcorn internationally, and it now employs several other adults with developmental disorders. 鈥淚t鈥檚 jobs, jobs, jobs," Bier said.
And now he's proud to have have created a thriving business -- like the others born out of necessity.
鈥淚, as a parent, have to get out there are solve this problem for my child,鈥� he said.
