NEW ALBANY, Ohio — As Doug Sharp shuffles through what's left of the annuals, perennials, and herbs this chilly morning, he's reminded of his motivation behind the nonprofit “Lettuce Work.” 

“We have a son who's 20 years old now and, of course, at the time we started, he was much younger, but we started to see what other families were experiencing with their young adult children with autism, and realize that while they're in school, there are a lot of support systems available, but after they graduate, things really kind of stop and there's a gap between high school and employment,” said Sharp. 

What You Need To Know

  • A New Albany nonprofit is cultivating valuable skills for students on the autism spectrum

  • Lettuce Work provides a community for young adults hoping to learn independence and skills for interviewing and keeping jobs 

  • The business was inspired by the son of co-owners Doug and Julie Sharp, who is autistic 

From getting soil ready for potted plants to picking lettuce for 12 different grocery stores in and around Columbus, Sharp is always nearby.

He says the focus is helping the students with communication and behavioral skills, so they can be successful finding long term employment and live more independently as adults.

“So that’s the stigma that I really think we need to dispel is they're very intelligent, they're very capable of doing the work, but they may need some additional prompts or assistance to initially learn the skill. Once they've got it, they've got it,” says Sharp. 

Sharp says his experience has been quite humbling and even though this is his livelihood, he says he'll never lose sight of his number one mission. 

“It's about what we can do about these kids, and so I've never lost sight of that. What we see the kids that are able to come in and learn and do when they leave is really rewarding,” says Sharp. 

For more information or to donate to Lettuce Work, go to their website.