Returning the Favor

After a decade of involvement, one of the biggest supporters — and success stories — of the Joanne and Ted Lindsay Foundation Autism Outreach Services (OUCARES) is giving back.

The Connors family — Michael, Cathy and sons Patrick and Brian — is one of the more than 2,000 families served by OUCARES. Having seen the organization’s positive impact on Brian, who was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in 1996, the family had no qualms about giving a generous monetary donation earlier this year to ensure OUCARES can continue providing its services to those impacted by ASD. 

“So many families have lost their jobs during the pandemic and can’t give right now,” Cathy said. “Since my husband and I have been able to keep our jobs, we have been increasing our efforts to give to organizations that do important work.”

According to Cathy, at the time that Brian had been diagnosed with ASD, there weren’t many programs to help individuals with ASD grow socially or emotionally, which forced families to “go it alone.” It wasn’t until Brian reached high school that the Connors family discovered OUCARES, signifying hope and progress toward more resources for the autism community. 

“Support for people with autism has changed drastically in the last 25 years,” Cathy said. “There is still much work to be done to ensure educational, employment, athletic and social arenas are accessible and equitable to the autism population, but OUCARES has been on the leading edge of this work.”

Several of OUCARES’ programs have a strong emphasis on early childhood intervention, which Cathy said is “so important” and resonated with her family because of the struggles they endured with finding support in the early years of Brian’s diagnosis.

Over the past 10 years, Brian has participated in various programs through OUCARES, including photography classes, summer camps and social programs. Perhaps even more significantly, however, OUCARES has given Brian, a classically trained tenor vocalist, the opportunity to foster his passion for music.

During the 2015 Detroit Tigers Winter Caravan, which was co-sponsored by Oakland University, OUCARES director Kristin Rohrbeck asked Brian to perform the National Anthem at that evening’s OU men’s basketball game in honor of “Autism Awareness Night.” Rohrbeck had heard a recording of Brian singing and wanted to help him showcase his vocal abilities to the OU community.

“I remember being very impressed when I heard Brian’s recording singing the national anthem,” Rohrbeck said. “His voice quality, tone and clarity were amazing, and his passion for singing came across as well. Any time I can help someone to pursue their dream, I want to help them along their way. For Brian, it was easy for me to send his recording to the right folks at OU — it was his own singing talent that helped him ‘land the gig’ to sing the national anthem for the Autism Awareness basketball game in 2015. I’m glad I could play a small part in helping him share his talent with the world.”

That performance opened several doors for Brian, who has gone on to perform at a plethora of local events, including six of the Ted Lindsay Foundation’s annual celebrity golf outings and athletic events at both Comerica Park and Little Caesars Arena. He also regularly brings his musical abilities to events at Troy Beaumont Hospital, where he has volunteered and worked for nearly seven years.

In addition to the positive experiences that Brian has had with OUCARES, Cathy said it is a particularly special organization for the entire Connors family because it also provides support to the families of individuals impacted by ASD, offering a multitude of informational seminars for parents and siblings, as well as family social activities.

One of the most rewarding aspects of the Connors’ involvement with OUCARES, however, has been the Pre-Employment Skills Training Program, which the Connors credit with addressing the stigma associated with the employment of individuals with autism — in fact, most adults with autism are either unemployed or underemployed, based on national data obtained by Autism Speaks. 

“Unfortunately, we have come to realize that hard work will only carry you so far,” Cathy said. “Many businesses are not willing to hire someone with a disability, even if that disability does not prevent them from doing a good job. Businesses need to be educated so that all of these children with autism have somewhere meaningful to work, once they age out of the public school system.” 

The Pre-Employment Skills Training Program aims to address this issue directly by helping adults with autism develop social awareness and social understanding to gain and maintain successful employment. Rohrbeck aimed to bring in speakers for the program that would promote the positive advantages of hiring people with a variety of disabilities. 

“Often people don't think about the challenges and barriers that adults with autism face daily related to independence, independent living, finances and employment,” Rohrbeck said. “OUCARES offers various programs to help address a lot of these issues, with our Pre-Employment Skills Training being one of the most impactful and successful of these programs to date. We employ vocational rehabilitation specialists and board certified behavior analysts (BCBAs) to teach adults with autism and related challenges the skills to get and keep a job. In addition to training individuals with autism, OUCARES also trains the employers how to better support the autism community in their workplaces.” 

Cathy likened the Pre-Employment Skills Training Program to efforts by the Ted Lindsay Foundation and Project SEARCH to help individuals with disabilities secure employment in their adult lives. Brian’s completion of the one-year Project SEARCH program ultimately led to a part-time job at Beaumont, and Cathy hopes her family’s donation can foster similarly effective programs through OUCARES.

“We would like our donation applied toward continuing the work in helping people with autism advance after high school,” she said, “whether that is in college, trade school, or a job in their community — helping them attain the skills necessary to be successful.” 

For additional information on the programs offered by OUCARES, visit oakland.edu/oucares.