RICHMOND, Va. -- Good Foods Grocery, located in the Bon Air community, has served the people of Richmond for decades. Now the business is home to Virginia’s first-of-its-kind grocery vocational training center for people with autism.
Asther Mcnulty is part of the Good Foods Grocery store's newly created job readiness program.
"This is my first job ever," Mcnulty shared.
The program is one that Commonwealth Autism dreamed of putting into place when they purchased the store last fall.
The 90-day program starts with classroom work teaching social and communication skills. Students are then put to the test as paid interns working at the store.
"I like that it is more of a relaxed environment compared to a bigger place," Mcnulty said. "There is less pressure."
Organizers said programs like this were necessary to help close the unemployment gap in America for autistic adults. That gap, they said, can range from 60% to 80%.
"At other jobs, it’s hard because I feel like they judge us for our disabilities or they don’t understand us so they get frustrated and fire us instead of understanding us and saying oh they have a disability let's see how we can work with them," Luan Glassbrook, who was eager to join this program, said.
He said the program was already pushing him outside his comfort zone and he hoped it would help him reach his goal of being a firefighter.
Once participants complete the Good Foods Grocery internship, they’ll be paired with a job coach to help them find a job that is the right fit.
The store is accepting applications for people looking to take part in their next class that starts in May. Click here to visit the Good Food Grocery website.
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