I cannot remember a time when Mike was not an important part of my life. Literally, the human brain does not start permanently saving memories until the age of four or five, and Mike was born when I was two years old. At first, I remember being painfully aware that something was different about my little brother. My little friends weren’t sure how to interact with him like I did with their siblings, and there were days when I would resent him for not ‘being like everyone else.’ I didn’t know it at the time, but as I got older he taught me many valuable lessons about responsibility, kindness, and how to treat others. But by the time I was about 16, I was certain that I had a better relationship with him compared to my friends and their ‘normally’ developing siblings. When I got my license I would regularly take him out shopping, out to eat, or to see a steam train (his favorite pastime).
Things were business as usual with Mike until he turned 21. He would attend school every day and then come home and partake in various activities with the family. But Mike was aging out of his school at about the same time I was finishing up graduate school and moving back home. I learned that my arents were getting involved with a nonprofit that was going to open a bakery to employ and job train persons with special needs that had aged out of the school system. Up until this point, I knew what it was like to live with Mike and how to deal with his differences, and I would occasionally volunteer or go to events at his school, but I never put too much thought into other families with special needs children. Or, what was going to happen when he graduated from school.
And there lies the start of my story with Ability 2 Work and Baker’s Treat. I was now 100% totally completely immersed in a community of families who were all working toward a common goal- giving their differently abled (that’s our term for those with special needs) kids the best, most productive life possible. There are some options out there. We didn’t HAVE TO start the bakery. Mike could have spent his days mindlessly washing dishes at some diner, or assembling tiny machine parts at some factory. We could have easily sent him to some work center where he had no interaction with the outside world. But he would be out of the house, right? Wouldn’t that be good enough? Wrong wrong wrong. So so so very seriously wrong.
The reason I volunteer at the bakery for four hours every week (and on holidays and special occasions), and the reason my parents spend their time and money to make this huge endeavor work is because Mike is flourishing in this environment. He’s not just going to work every day, he is going to a safe, supportive environment that is helping him to grow as an individual. He has peers, both differently abled and normally developing. He is learning about healthy life habits and how to create happiness for himself. I even think that he is happier and more well-adjusted than most of the normally developing individuals I encounter on a daily basis. If my parents and the other dedicated families had not taken the biggest leap of faith a year and a half ago, I am not sure where Mike would be. And that is the worst thought. The alternative would be either a) him sitting at home doing absolutely nothing, physically, mentally, emotionally wasting away, or b) doing mindless tasks at some factory with a supervisor just glancing over his shoulder every few hours to make sure he isn’t messing up.
I hope it is obvious that either of those two options are not acceptable ways for anyone, let alone someone with special needs, to live their life. So in short, that is why I am happy and proud to be a part of this organization. We work hard to create an environment that will support these kids and help them live their life to the fullest. I am proud of what my parents have done to make this work, I am proud to be a part of it, and I am proud of what Mike does every day. He is capable of so much more than most people ever thought he was, and A2W/BT has helped him and us to realize this.