Feature Story
Doing (and Receiving)
Good Work Green Industry Employment Can Provide Opportunities for Individuals with Cognitive Disabilities By Derrick Stowell, UT Gardens Education Director
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eople who have intellectual, or cognitive, disabilities live full and productive lives. These individuals want to be active in their communities and seek opportunities for meaningful employment. Although there have been improvements in employment opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities, challenges still remain. A 2016 report on Disability Statistics from the American Community Survey (ACS) found that 31.4% of Tennessee’s working age population who have disabilities live at or below the poverty line, and 28.1% of that group had a cognitive disability (Erikson et al. 2017). The American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD) defines an intellectual disability as “characterized by significant limitations in both intellectual functioning and in adaptive behavior. This disability originates before the age of 18.� In 1992, a study by Davis and De Riso identified horticulture as one of the industries that has been identified as a rewarding career for individuals with intellectual disabilities. Individuals with intellectual disabilities working in green industry settings have a long history in the United States. In 1879 the first greenhouse for therapeutic use was built in Pennsylvania, and since that time, numerous other programs have trained and hired individuals with disabilities (see the Related Resources sidebar, page 18). One well-known organization serving individuals with
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tennessee greentimes Spring 2019
1 Many horticultural job tasks provide necessary structure for an intellectually disabled workforce.
disability by training them for jobs in the horticulture industry is Melwood, located in Maryland. Melwood (www.melwood.org) began its horticultural therapy program in 1963 and pioneering member Earl Copas developed a program manual for horticultural training and work co-op programs in 1980. This manual is still used today for many horticultural therapy programs. Today, the American Horticultural Therapy Association (AHTA) serves as the national professional organization for horticultural therapy and sets the standards of practice for horticultural therapy programs around the country. AHTA also has a professional registration program to ensure horticultural therapists have the credentials to practice through structured training and clinical experience. Currently there are over 40 programs in the United States which work with individuals in the green industry who have intellectual and development disabilities. These programs have a variety of goals for people with intellectual disabilities including: providing vocational training, developing social skills, providing job opportunities, contracting greenhouse/nursery/horticulture work, and providing opportunities to have meaningful paid work in the community. Working with individuals with intellectual disabilities can provide several opportunities for green industry employers. First, individuals with intellectual disabilities thrive in structured environments and green industry work can provide opportunities
