Best Buddies and Our Family: An Autism Awareness Month Story Miami, FL, April 1, 2024 — April is Autism Awareness Month, a worldwide celebration of people on the autism spectrum. Best Buddies International, a nonprofit dedicated to creating opportunities for friendship, employment, leadership development, inclusive living and family support for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), has improved the lives of people on the autism spectrum for over 35 years. The following article is written by Marion “Mimi” Goldman, whose child, Michael, is a member of the Best Buddies Jobs Program, an integrated employment program that places individuals with IDD into inclusive workplaces. Four years before Anthony Shriver founded Best Buddies, a Ph.D. candidate pronounced our five-year-old son Michael “severely autistic” and suggested that we find a group home where he could live with other disabled children. Despite some advances in the 1980s, many Americans labeled people with IDD as fundamentally inadequate and different from others. It was assumed that it was best for everyone if they were isolated from the social mainstream. Fortunately, Best Buddies, its supporters and participants countered those painful stereotypes and worked together to move beyond social and economic isolation to create possibilities for mutual appreciation and inclusion. Soon after the devastating diagnosis, an experienced therapist in a nearby city met Michael and told us that we could expect him to grow and change throughout his life. Michael is on the autism spectrum, with personal strengths that have allowed him to live independently, succeed at a job that he loves and continue to overcome many challenges. Michael’s great attitude, determination and kindness helped our family appreciate neurodiversity. It made it possible for us to get past the frustration and disappointments that were part of our life together. From elementary school through high school, Michael expanded his academic achievements and slowly learned to empathize with others. However, he wasn’t ready for unstructured college life and left a public university in his sophomore year. Living at home, he continued to take classes and also tried to find work. There was only one likely option in our community: work at a poultry processing factory with questionable labor practices. The best possibility to help Michael go forward was convincing him to move to Los Angeles to participate in a residential program designed to help high-functioning young adults with learning differences achieve their full potentials. In L.A., Michael felt alone and abandoned. Our younger son, my husband and I sympathized but begged him to stay. During his third year in L.A., he connected with the Best Buddies Jobs Program and got his first job. He demonstrated his abilities to get along with others and perform under high pressure in the laundry room of a large downtown hotel. Best Buddies Jobs was like Michael’s extended family. When he worked late into the night, his employment consultant visited him to offer support and advice. Through Best Buddies’ advocacy, more intellectually demanding work began to be available to people in the program. After submitting a resume and participating in interviews, Michael was hired by Manatt, Phelps & Phillips LLP in June of 2007. He began as a part-time office clerk and is now a full-time team member in accounting and several other departments. Michael was the right person for the right job at the right time. People from Best Buddies Jobs supported Michael at Manatt and helped his colleagues understand him better. They continue to guide and encourage him. Michael’s colleagues and their families turned out for the local Best Buddies Friendship Walk and joined the Goldman family to support Best Buddies, especially the Jobs Program. Michael graduated from college and earned honors in the UCLA Extension’s Post-Baccalaureate Accounting Program as Manatt and Best Buddies cheered him on. His friends at Manatt and Best Buddies support him as he studies for the last two exams necessary to become a CPA in California. Michael might still be finding his way without the Best Buddies Jobs Program. We are humbled and grateful to Best Buddies and the many individuals who have sustained us over the decades! About Best Buddies Best Buddies ® is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to establishing a global volunteer movement that creates opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment, leadership development, inclusive living, and family support for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Founded in 1989 by Anthony K. Shriver, Best Buddies is a vibrant organization that has grown from one original chapter to nearly 3,000 middle school, high school, and college chapters worldwide. Today, Best Buddies’ 12 formal programs — Elementary Schools, Middle Schools, High Schools, Colleges, Citizens, e-Buddies®, Jobs, Ambassadors, Promoters, Transitions, Inclusive Living and Eunie’s Buddies — engage participants in each of the 50 states and in 45 countries, positively impacting the lives of nearly one million people with and without disabilities around the world. In many cases, as a result of their involvement with Best Buddies, people with intellectual and developmental disabilities secure rewarding jobs, live on their own, become inspirational leaders, and make lifelong friendships. For more information, please visit bestbuddies.org or connect with us via Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. Media Inquiries Jacob Pasternack Manager of Marketing and Communications JacobPasternack@BestBuddies.org
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