Doing (and Receiving) Good Work

Green Industry Employment Can Provide Opportunities for Individuals with Cognitive Disabilities

By Derrick Stowell, UT Gardens Education Director

People 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). One well-known organization serving individuals with 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 that accomplish clearly delineated job tasks (Photo 1). Second, individuals with intellectual disabilities desire to be included in the community and a paid job is one way for them to contribute locally. Third, individuals with intellectual disabilities can provide a consistent and reliable work force for the green industry.

PHOTO 1: Many horticultural job tasks provide necessary structure for an intellectually disabled workforce.

In order to help individuals with intellectual disabilities to have successful employment experiences in the green industry, specialized training may be necessary (Photo 2). The University of Tennessee Gardens began developing horticultural therapy programs in 2012. Since that time we have served a variety of groups. Some of the vocational training programs we have developed include working with adults who have Autism and developing a horticultural and greenhouse management training program for local high school special education programs.

PHOTO 2: Specialized training can provide dedicated employees with job-specific skills.

We have also offered internship and vocational training in horticulture for students who are enrolled in the University of Tennessee’s FUTURE program. FUTURE is a post-secondary education program for young adults who have intellectual and developmental disabilities. Students attend the University of Tennessee and take classes based on their interests and career goals. An integral part of that program is giving students in the program internships. Our horticultural therapy staff help develop and implement sessions to give FUTURE students real world experience in a public garden and greenhouse setting.

Another vocational training program we currently offer is through a partnership with Tennessee School for the Deaf (TSD). During the fall and spring semesters, we provide weekly horticulture training sessions for TSD students. As each semester progresses, students from TSD show improved ability to perform horticultural tasks such as sowing seeds, transplanting, weeding, watering, and much more. This program also provides transferable vocational skills such as communicating with program staff, staying on task and following directions.

With adequate training, it has been shown that individuals with intellectual disabilities have potential to be valuable workers in the green industry (Photo 3). The need for specialized training may be a challenge for some businesses. UT Gardens currently offers consulting and training to develop and implement training programs for organizations interested in hiring individuals with intellectual disabilities. The benefits of employing individuals with intellectual disabilities include a consistent, reliable, and loyal workforce that works well in a structured environment (Photo 3).

For more information about these and other opportunities, contact Mr. Derrick Stowell, MS, CTRS, HTR, UT Gardens Education Director, email: dstowell@utk.edu; 865-974-7151.

PHOTO 3: Pride in performance and accomplishment enhances employee loyalty.

Related Resources

For more information about Horticultural Therapy and Specialized Training for the Green Industry, visit these links and reports:

Airhart, D. L. (1987). Horticultural Training for Adolescent Special Education Students. Journal of Therapeutic Horticulture 2, 17–22.

Ashley Jr, I. E. (1969). Analysis of opportunities for paraplegics in certain ornamental horticulture occupations (Doctoral dissertation, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign).

Davis, S. H. and De Riso, M. S. (1992). Horticulture hiring people with disabilities. HortTechnology 2(2): 183–187.

DeHart-Bennett, M. E., & Relf, D. (1990). Horticultural occupations for persons with intellectual disabilities. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal 37(3), 143–146.

Copus, E. (1980). The Melwood Manual: A Planning and Operations Manual for Horticultural Training and Work-op Programs. Washington, DC: Administration of Developmental Disabilities (DHHS). https://files.eric. ed.gov/fulltext/ED200793.pdf

Erickson, W., Lee, C., von Schrader, S. (2017). Disability Statistics from the American Community Survey (ACS). Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Yang-Tan Institute (YTI). Retrieved from Cornell University Disability Statistics website: http://www.disabilitystatistics.org

Hefley, P. D. (1973). Planting new seeds. Performance 23(8), 8–10.

Relf, P. D. (1981). The use of horticulture in vocational rehabilitation. Journal of Rehabilitation 47(3), 53–56. W

adsworth, J., Milsom, A., and Cocco, K. (2004). Career development for adolescents and young adults with mental retardation. Professional School Counseling 141–147.