By Stephen Appezzato
MIDDLETOWN – Tucked away in the suburbs of Middletown are two bustling farms where adults with autism go to learn, live and work.
Oasis tlc, the aptly named vocational program, is more than just a post-secondary institution. It is a product of like-minded parents who envisioned a better future for their neurodiverse children.
In observance of autism acceptance month, The Two River Times had a look behind-the-scenes of this thriving group.
“The wider community doesn’t quite understand autism,” said Oasis co-founder and executive director Mai Cleary. Cleary learned this along the way raising her neurodiverse son, John.
For many on the autism spectrum, life after high school is filled with unknowns. When people with autism turn 21 and graduate, there is a chance they fall through a hole in the social services net because there is a lack of programs for adults with autism, Cleary explained.
The drop-off in life and job training for these individuals is often abrupt, with many having challenges finding careers.
The “local farm model” at Oasis tlc aims to bridge this gap, setting local residents up with the skills they need to integrate into adult life.
“The goal is to have a part-time job off-site and have a part-time job here and just to live together in community and have friends, basically,” Cleary said. Some of Oasis’ interns work at No Limits Cafe in Middletown and Carton Brewing Company in Atlantic Highlands.
The organization has two farms within the township – a transitional one similar to a day school and a residential location where some interns live four days a week.
A quick glance around Oasis’ transitional model reveals a range of crops, animals, crafts and even a farm stand.
“Key to all that is (the interns) thrive on routines and organization. The more organized we can be, the better they can do without help,” Cleary said.
During the spring and summer, interns learn to grow and cultivate produce. A portion of each harvest is distributed among 30 families, who purchase shares of the farm and receive organic, locally grown produce each week in return, similar to a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture).
The rest is integrated into meals, goods such as jams and balms, or donated to a local food pantry “because we have extra and we want to give back to the community,” Cleary said.
Interns also focus on job training, like dishwashing and serving, as well as creating crafts and art, especially in the winter.
“The key is engagement. Engagement is the opposite of anxiety for our interns,” Cleary said.
Paintings, pottery, wood crafts, woven works and more are sold to the public at Oasis’ farm stand. The school also hosts weekly events throughout the year, like Socials Graces Tea Services – the only formal tea service in the area – Goat Yoga and a Saturday breakfast service. The of- ten-sold-out events serve as “practice interactions” for Oasis’ interns, as well as a way “to bring the community in,” Cleary said.
Oasis tlc started in 2012, but traces its roots back to 2000 when Cleary and her partners pioneered the special education program in the Middletown Township School District. When her son started in the school system, Cleary remembers there were only four other students with autism.
“That’s it. And nobody knew what to do,” she said. The group of parents formed IMPACT (Improving Middletown’s Program for Autistic Children) and helped the district develop a comprehensive program for students. But, “childhood goes quickly,” she said.
“As our kids were getting older, we decided we better start looking into adult life because you spend most of your life as an adult.”
IMPACT was passed on to the next wave of parents, while Cleary and her partners developed Oasis. At this time the program is at capacity with 21 interns.
“We can only manage so many farms, you know, and so many people for life,” Cleary said.
The program leaders use the expertise learned along the way to help other farm models get started, including one in the works for Holmdel and one in Austin, Texas.
Farm models provide community, job training and continued education for adults with autism while the surrounding community receives healthy, organic food and a thriving example of sustainable farming and green living, Cleary said.
Helping Oasis along the way are community partners, who donate and offer visibility to the farm. One example is Atlantic Highlands-based Fair Mountain Coffee Roasters, which provides free coffee to the program. Interns sell the coffee to the public at their farm stand. Another example is Trader Joe’s, which donates ingredients.
Perhaps the most unique partnership is with Carton Brewing Company. It began when brewery members came to an Oasis event and quickly formed a close bond with the organization. Over time, that bond developed into a symbiotic partnership.
One of the crops Oasis cultivates is hops, which are flowers of the hop plant used for beermaking. Each year Carton purchases the farm’s hop haul, using the ingredient to create a unique, limited-run beer. Spent grain from the beermaking process is returned to Oasis, where it is used by the interns to make dog biscuits. These biscuits, along with the interns’ artwork, are displayed and sold at Carton Brewing’s tasting room.
“It’s just so nice that they display our art on the walls and sell it. The interns get the money for their own art and it keeps the art moving,” Cleary said. “It just adds to the whole community connection.”
Touring the farm program, it quickly becomes clear that community and connection were the underlying themes that make Oasis far more than vocational training. It is a place where individuals who are sometimes overlooked by social services come together to live, learn and develop close friendships in a holistic environment while preparing for adulthood and work life.
A tasting of Carton’s limited edition Planning Jersey beer and an art show will be open to the public at an Oasis tlc fundraiser May 11, featuring farm-fresh food, live music and more. For more information or to RSVP, visit oasistlc.org.
The article originally appeared in the April 11 – April 17, 2024 print edition of The Two River Times.
