Bittersweet Spectrum | Fall 2020
Learning to Grow Together in Pemberville!
When the Whitehouse Day Program closed temporarily in mid-March, none of us knew how long the closure would last, but Tom knew this much: he could not bear a Spring or Summer without gardening!
When the Day Program is open, Tom is a proud member of the Gardens team. On a typical day, Tom might be found in the Gardens building mixing soil, filling seed flats, or transplanting seedlings. Prior to the pandemic, Tom had been developing his independent gardening skills. Beth Kuntz-Wineland, the Gardens Specialist in Whitehouse, says that Tom “loves increasing his independence, mastering new skills using task analysis sheets,” which include step by step photo instructions.
This initiative and growing independence paid off in March when Tom began gardening at Bittersweet’s Pemberville location, where he is a resident. Bittersweet Pemberville is equipped with a small greenhouse, but prior to this year it had been used minimally, with Tom and the others getting their gardening fix in the Day Program in Whitehouse. In true Bittersweet fashion, Tom used his skills and the resources at hand to create something meaningful, motivating, and deeply rewarding for himself and his roommates in Pemberville.
Most magical was the way that Tom transitioned from the role of learner to that of teacher, sharing the wisdom he had learned in the Whitehouse Gardens Program with his staff and his roommates. In Tom’s own words, “I show my roommates and staff how to do it and they help. I like it when they can help!” Since Bittersweet’s founding in 1983, our philosophy has emphasized partnership, something that Tom’s pride in teaching and working alongside his staff and fellow residents demonstrates beautifully.
Tom and his roommates, Bob and Reed (pictured below), worked together to seed, water, transplant, nurture, and harvest in Pemberville. Gardening together provided a meaningful activity and crucial daily structure as they stayed safe at home. Tom noted the importance of this structure, saying that he looked forward to watering “every day in the morning and before dinner.” Their teamwork and dedication made for an incredibly fruitful and rewarding growing season, too! By the end of the Summer, they had enough tomatoes to share!
We asked Tom and Bob about their favorite parts of gardening at home this year. Tom’s favorite part was growing marigolds (a nod to his Grandma’s favorite flower), and Bob said, candidly, “I like to grow all the veggies but I don’t like to eat them!” Their pride, joy, and humor illustrates one of the gifts of Bittersweet’s farmstead model: activities like gardening, with a clear beginning, middle, ending, and rewarding results, are especially therapeutic for individuals with autism (and all of us!). In these challenging times, these therapeutic benefits have been more important than ever.
Tom, we are so proud of you for sharing your gifts with the rest of your Pemberville family! Your teamwork and resilience is an inspiration to us all. We are excited to see how you will continue to learn and grow....together!
