WILMINGTON, MA — There were heart-warming moments galore as excited young students at the Boston Higashi School received a huge surprise. A massive 18-wheel truck driven by Teamsters Local 25 President Sean M. O’Brien arrived on the Randolph campus at the time students were completing their morning exercise program.
Among the excited students was 10-year-old Quinn Thornton, of Wilmington.
The students all were provided tours of the truck — including the long trailer that can be transformed into an executive conference room or mobile work shop — and each student took turns sitting in the cab and learning how truck drivers safely navigate the open road. Teamsters Local 25 works year-round to raise money to support autism research and services and is a sponsor of the Boston Higashi School. It has become an annual tradition for O’Brien and other members of Local 25 to visit the students and staff at the Boston Higashi School.
“The Boston Higashi School and it’s students have the undivided support of Teamsters Local 25,” said O’Brien. “We’re championing the cause of autistic children throughout Massachusetts and our goal at some point in time is to transition autistic children into the workforce. People living with autism already show they can be valuable workers in many industries, but we need to provide more support for teens entering adulthood. The Higashi School does a tremendous job of teaching these kids, and we want to make certain that there is a future not only for the children that are affected by autism, but also their families as well.”
Each year, Teamsters Local 25 hosts the Teamsters Local 25 Gala for Autism, the largest autism fundraising event in Boston, which supports various institutions and programs that help people living with autism, including the Boston Higashi School. National data shows an overwhelming majority of teens with autism do not enter the workforce or attend college after high school. Teamsters Local 25 and the Boston Higashi School are joining forces to raise awareness of the fact that people living with autism can be productive workers across all industries — they just need to be cared about, inspired and supported.
The vast majority of adults with autism are either unemployed or underemployed, with estimates ranging to as high as 90%, according to national data. Research from Drexel University and elsewhere says people living with autism spectrum disorders are less likely than other disability groups to be employed or pursue postsecondary education. Young adults with ASD’s have the highest risk of being completely disengaged from any kind of postsecondary education or employment after high school. Teamsters Local 25 is working to raise awareness that people living with autism can be productive members of the workforce across all industries. By engaging children in this visual and exploratory experience, Teamsters Local 25 hopes to bring not just support for these autistic students, but the joy of having such an exciting experience they will remember as they pursue their goals beyond high school — reminding these students they can reach their goals in either higher education or in the working world.
(NOTE: The above press release is from Teamsters Local 25 and first appeared on Wicked Local Wilmington.)
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