Andrew - working on products for the shop

I was thinking I needed to post some new pictures of Andrew working - it's been a couple of difficult  months, trying to keep him moving forward and not backward or sidewards.

Andrew is 18, severely autistic, and nonverbal - to create products and ideas and  work for him is always on the top of my mind - swirling around. If Andrew cannot participate in a product in some fashion, we generally don't make it.

The shop and its products are about paying it forward - giving a job to a young man who in the normal workplace has none - and in the typical world of adults  is forgotten. He has no real life skills, cannot talk on or even   make a call on a phone,  order pizza, hang out with friends.  He has a lot of nots in his life. Things he will never do or even know about.

His world and the people in it are a small and he seems to like it that way, closing his eyes when the environment intrudes too much.

We have been working on some new organza ribbons and he has the job of shredding them for us.  They are a different texture so it's a bit odd to him feeling them, but he has been doing a great job.

He is also getting some "green projects" ready - ripping labels off aluminum cans that we are recycling for flower pots!

He is an expert shredded and ripper (mostly of things you do not want shredded - so it is good to use those skills and put them to a useful purpose.

Yay paperclips - hand punched by Andrew and stamped! 

Backside of paper clips - hand punched and hand stamped by Andrew. 

Typing an update on Facebook

Cutting some shapes for us for our paper  products.

We are still working on this side of the studio so please pardon our appearance as we remodel. We hope to have it finished within the next 6 months. One side is completed and one side to go.  He works at a large wooden table. Marks are  placed on the table to guide him when cutting ribbon or wire.  He uses the IPAD to keep track of his jobs and eats his lunch every day prior to working.  We have encouraged him to remove his hat and jacket without much success, but I can assure you the barn is very warm but he works anyway with hat and jacket in place.   That's another story trying to convince him to take these items off.

So we plan and get ready for spring!

cate for andrew