In Newtown, there are young adults sitting in their rooms constantly isolated. These young people, who struggle to find jobs, live life differently. However, their differences do not make them any less capable workers, siblings, children, or grandchildren. These are people who are on the autism spectrum.

Autism spectrum disorder, or ASD, is a spectrum for a reason. There are some individuals who are nonverbal, some who struggle with eye contact, some who struggle with social cues, and some who struggle with mobility impairments. But, they’re people, just like everyone else; people who want to contribute to society, people who want to earn their own living, and people who want to move out of their parents’ homes and into their own spaces.

This is where Judy Thomas and her son, Lyle Vetare, come in.

Lyle is a young man living with ASD. He just celebrated his 26th birthday. He loves video games and stocking shelves. All Lyle wants is “a job that [he] can be treated right at.” A simple request with a complex answer.

Teriann Damo, an employment specialist at Ability Beyond, explained that Ability Beyond focuses on finding someone’s strengths, and then finds jobs that work around that.

“We have to find the ability,” Damo said. “We find strengths [in people with ASD] and we have to propose it to these businesses. We have someone now in our team that just goes out and tries to job develop, and we tell [businesses] about the individuals that we’re working with and what industry they’re looking for, and what strengths that they have, and then what obstacles do they have.”

The hang-up, according to Thomas, is that “special [education] is a service, not a place.” She explained she wants to see schools implement workable skills into classrooms and have those skills be taught alongside traditional subjects.

“[Lyle] should have been doing life skills, some kind of work skill, to prepare him to transition. I knew he wasn’t going to college, [the school] knew he wasn’t going to college, there are some kids that just don’t,” Thomas explained. “So, with [Lyle], I would have liked to see … something where he’s set, before he graduates, with a skill. A job set-up, where he transitions right into that job while school prepares him for that specific job.”

Thomas added, “That’s what I’m looking for. So that gap can close so he’s not sitting in his room.”

Damo built off Thomas’ point, “[People with ASD] can bring great value to [a] business, if we can get them to understand [people with ASD] have really strong skills. You know, usually people that are on the autism spectrum are very detail-oriented, they’re very methodical, they have precision, they have good math skills. I mean there’s really a lot of positive abilities that they can bring into businesses and different entities that are being missed.”

Naturally, while Ability Beyond does its best to match individuals to jobs, there are other obstacles that get in the way, transportation being the biggest.

First Selectman Jeff Capeci weighed in, “I just think Newtown is a challenge. Geographically, it’s very big. We don’t have any public service for transportation. We hear from the seniors all the time trying to get to doctor appointments. I know. So it’s not only an issue that impacts people on the spectrum, it’s also an issue for seniors who may drive, or may not drive at night, or what have you … Those various constituencies, they’re impacted by the geography and the lack of public transportation in town.”

Natalie Griffith, director of Human Services, agreed. “A lot of our clients don’t have transportation all the time. As Judy was mentioning, the HART bus does have restrictions on when that last ride can be, so you can’t work in the evening at a restaurant or hotel outside of Newtown because there’s not a way to get back unless you’re doing an Uber.”

Outside of the transportation limits, other issues arise for young people trying to get hired.

Businesses are not always equipped to assist those with ASD or the owners lack patience and empathy to support these individuals in the workplace.

Lyle stated very plainly that he wants “to not be surrounded by any mean [people]” while he is working. Again, a simple request with a complex answer.

“I think a lot of businesses don’t know how to support people who have autism spectrum disorder, and they don’t know what accommodations are necessary,” Damo said, adding, “Really the whole thing is they can peel back the layers and see what value someone who is on the autism spectrum disorder can bring to their company.”

Griffith continued, “You’re training the individual, but there’s not training for the employer.”

Damo explained Ability Beyond focuses on making people “competitively employable” so they can earn their own money, move into their own home, and ultimately become an individual.

Thomas wants to see more opportunities for her son in town because, as Griffith said, “people don’t want to leave once they’re here.” Not only does Thomas want more opportunities in town, Lyle wants longer-lasting opportunities.

“It was nice while it lasted, but then I went home and then I couldn’t buy any other video games,” Lyle recounted.

Jobs create stability, routine, and income. Everyone deserves those simple things, regardless of ability. For Lyle, it created an opportunity for him to purchase his own entertainment and provide for himself.

It’s imperative for young folks like Lyle to get out of the house and have social interaction. Thomas said, “Living in your room, it [causes] your social and wellness to deteriorate, and that’s where the violent behaviors happen … It’s not healthy to be stuck in your room day after day.”

Capeci said it best, “We’re a social creature, humans.”

Reporter Sam Cross can be reached at sam@thebee.com.