A residential facility for individuals with autism has launched a livelihood project to make young adults employable.

They are trained to make such items that can be sold commercially, making them financially independent.

The objective of the skill training project is to make them “employable.”

“We want individuals with autism to get employed based on their skill sets and not on grounds of sympathy,” said the head of the residential facility.

Ananda Ashrama, around 160km from the city at Jamdoba village in West Burdwan, was started for individuals with autism to address parents’ fears about what will happen to their kids in their absence. The ashrama trains them in independent living so that they can carry out their everyday chores without any help.

Tote bags made by residents of Ananda Ashrama.

Young adults at the ashrama are being trained to make tote bags using stencil printing, pickles, paper plates and cakes.

“Intricate drawing lines can be difficult for some while making tote bags. Stencil printing is easier for them. We have had a good sales report of the tote bags,” said Arunasis Adhikari, founder and managing trustee of the Bhabna Trust, which runs the
ashrama.

“We intend to make a self-help group and once we get a trade license we can also sell the products online,” he said.

Adhikari said that acceptance of individuals with autism in workplaces is still not a reality.

“They have to be good at their job or they will not be able to retain their jobs. We have seen instances where they have been employed but retrenched after a few months,” said Adhikari.

The students at the ashrama are also taught computer data entry and account maintenance, depending on their aptitude. Some are being trained to be assistant cooks.

“Our idea is to train them well before they go out to work so they are not turned away because of their lack of expertise,” he said. “Often parents of such kids think their children are incapable of completing any task perfectly, which is not true,” said Adhikari.

Adhikari said the idea was to send these young adults out to the job market after making them “capable of surviving there”.

“If they are good at what they are doing, they will be able to work independently and retain their jobs,” said Adhikari.