Life's WORC Helps Adults With Autism Find Employment
Life's WORC and the Family Center for Achievement are creating real jobs and opportunities for young adults with autism on Long Island.
April is Autism Acceptance Month, and on Long Island, two organizations are turning that recognition into real opportunity for young adults who too often get left behind.
Ben Datys, 20, of Williston Park, is one of them. He works at Panera Bread in New Hyde Park, wiping and sanitizing tables and keeping the restaurant running during its busiest rushes. He got that job himself, submitting his own application about two years ago. For a young man on the autism spectrum who was enrolled in a pre-vocational training program not long before that, it represents exactly the kind of outcome that programs like Life’s WORC are designed to produce.
The numbers behind that outcome matter. According to the U.S. Department of Education, only 21% of people with disabilities, including those on the autism spectrum, are employed. That figure climbs to nearly 60% for people with autism who receive vocational rehabilitation services. Approximately 5.4 million U.S. adults are on the autism spectrum, with around 342,000 in New York State alone. The gap between what these individuals are capable of and what the workforce currently offers them is wide. Organizations like Life’s WORC and The Family Center for Achievement in Garden City are working to close it.
Ben’s path through Life’s WORC’s pre-vocational program gave him hands-on experience across Nassau County before he ever punched a clock. He was part of a 30-person crew that volunteered at nonprofits and businesses throughout the area, including Staples, Five Below, St. Brigid’s Roman Catholic Church in Westbury, and the Mary Brennan Inn Soup Kitchen and Food Pantry in Hempstead.
“I’ve done everything from mopping floors to stocking shelves to putting together food donation packages to watering plants,” Ben said.
His job coaches noticed what employers noticed too. “Employers like Ben. They appreciate his patience and kindness as he carries out his service jobs,” said Life’s WORC job coach Steve Amonte.
Those qualities translated directly into steady employment. At Panera Bread, Ben is a reliable part of the team, especially during high-traffic periods when the work is fast and the pressure is real. He even gets to enjoy the occasional perk of a grilled cheese sandwich and a Diet Pepsi.
Beyond work, Ben leads a full life. At home, he cares for two family Chow Chows named Finn and Buddha, and he is a longtime New York Islanders fan.
His story is the kind that program administrators point to, rightly, as proof of concept. But it also raises a question that parents of autistic children on Long Island ask constantly: How many students are getting access to these pre-vocational pipelines while they are still in high school, when the groundwork matters most?
The data suggests the window is underused. About 50% of eligible autistic youth nationally begin vocational rehabilitation services while still in high school. That means half do not, and they enter adulthood without the career foundation that makes a difference.
Autism spectrum disorder, as defined by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, is a developmental disability rooted in differences in brain development. Some cases involve an identified genetic condition; others have causes scientists are still working to understand. What researchers do know is that early support, structured skill-building, and real workplace exposure produce measurable results.
For parents of children on Long Island who are approaching transition age, the message from Ben’s experience is practical: do not wait until after graduation to start looking at vocational programs. The earlier students engage with pre-vocational services, the stronger their footing when they enter the job market independently.
Life’s WORC and The Family Center for Achievement serve this community across Nassau County and beyond. Their websites, lifesworc.org and thefamilycenterforachievement.org, offer information on available programs and how families can connect.
Ben Datys mopped floors at a soup kitchen and stocked shelves at a retail store before he walked into Panera Bread and asked for a job on his own terms. That progression is not accidental. It is what good programming, patient coaching, and community partnership can build for young adults who deserve a real shot at the workforce.