Chester County man killed in crash during Duryea Hillclimb [updated]

Aug. 21—Every year, Claire Malfaro looks forward to getting a piece of artwork from her oldest son as her birthday gift.

Michael Malfaro, 32, makes memory jars, vessels adorned with discarded and broken items he collects while walking his dogs as well as mementos from family outings and vacations. He first discovered the medium on a visit to the Johnstown Flood Museum and was inspired to make one.

"It's actually a traditional African American folk art that eventually went to the Victorian mainstream," he explained to visitors recently.

Claire marvels at Michael's thoughtfulness and creativity. How he collects and chooses things she likes and that remind him of her to put into each piece.

She proudly shows one that Michael made for one of his sisters while she was in Peru for over two years with the Peace Corps.

It includes tickets from an old movie theater near their former home in Mount Penn, a miniature stuffed llama, a ticket from the family's train tour to Machu Picchu, candy wrappers and even a small critter's skull he salvaged from a creek.

"He collects things that tell a story," said Claire, who recently launched a nonprofit foundation to help adults with autism obtain gainful employment.

Michael's creativity extends beyond memory jars. His work in mixed-media sculptures has been featured in art exhibits at the GoggleWorks Center for the Arts in Reading as well as a gallery show in Rockville, Md.

He has penned articles published in the Reading Eagle (as a high school student for the former Voices teen section) and Ephrata Review, a weekly newspaper based in northern Lancaster County.

The job market

Despite these accomplishments, and a bachelor's degree with honors in professional writing from Kutztown University, Michael, like many people on the autism spectrum, is significantly underemployed.

His LinkedIn job board alerts him to openings for writing positions, but he has yet to land a permanent position in anything related to his field of study, even ones for which he has been invited to interviews. He currently works as a dishwasher.

Like many individuals with autism, Michael fell off the cliff in adulthood due to his disability and how it impacts the interview and hiring process, said Claire, a licensed professional counselor who works as a therapist at a Berks County psychiatry practice.

Autism, or autism spectrum disorder, refers to a broad range of conditions characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech and nonverbal communication. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, autism affects an estimated 1 in 36 children in the United States today.

A growing number of adults with autism live with aging parents, according to the Madison House Autism Foundation. Overwhelmingly unemployed or underemployed, these individuals face a lifetime of isolation while society misses out on their vital contributions

Less than a quarter of adults with autism are employed, and this includes those with a college degree, Claire said.

"He's going to great lengths," Claire said of Michael's job hunting. "He's brilliant. His writing is fantastic, but he interviews terribly, which is a very common thing with people on the autistic spectrum. It's just his presentation."

Michael's frankness, one of the traits Claire finds endearing, works against him in an interview, when the challenge for those being interviewed is to overplay strengths and minimize weakness.

Once, while interviewing for a job with a grocery store chain, Michael said he is not much of a people person — perhaps not what the employer wanted to hear from a prospective employee, Claire recalled. In rebuttal, Michael said his intent was to make it clear he would be a better fit working in the back rather than front of the store where he would be dealing directly with customers.

Taking action

Claire has been a passionate advocate for people with autism her entire career. When Michael was beginning first grade 25 years ago, she locked horns with the administration of the Antietam School District. She contended it denied her son his lawful right to a free and appropriate public education because it had not developed an education program suitable for his special needs.

The state Bureau of Special Education sided with Claire. As a result, the district was required to pay for Michael's private school education through elementary and secondary school.

The lofty hopes she had for Michael back then have been tempered by his struggles in adulthood.

"I didn't realize how the challenges would continue in different ways," Claire said.

If it's this much of a struggle for Michael to find living-wage work parallel to his mental abilities and embrace all that adulthood typically entails, Claire wonders how steep of a climb it must be for others on the autism spectrum who don't have the benefit of a parent with her expertise and means.

Reflecting on his unsuccessful job search, Claire recalls Michael once saying, "The world doesn't know what to do with people like me."

Nonprofit venture

Feeling there has to be a better way, Claire has started the Positively Produced Foundation to help pave the way for adults with autism secure gainful employment with established businesses. She's collaborating with Reading Hospitality Management LLC, which manages the DoubleTree by Hilton Reading, Reading Country Club and social event spaces at GoggleWorks.

Claire said she is partly modeling the Positively Produced Foundation on another nonprofit. Several years ago, Gregg Ireland, founder of Extraordinary Ventures based in Chapel Hill, N.C., invited her to a conference on employing adults with autism.

"We want to challenge the longstanding bias regarding the actual advantages of harnessing the abilities of people with autism in the workforce," Claire said. "We want to help employers have a better understanding of the challenges people with autism face and create workplaces conducive to positive productivity."

She's getting help in launching her venture from Ireland, mentor Peter Kostick and Reading Hospitality President Craig Poole.

An introductory gala for Positively Produced is planned for Aug. 25 in the DoubleTree. The keynote speaker is Michael John Carly, an author, consultant and former director of the Global and Regional Asperger Syndrome Partnership, or GRASP.

The appetizers served will be the highlight of the evening — they will be the first products of the Positively Produced venture, all made by people with autism.

Poole jumped on board when Claire shared her vision in an open letter to influential people in the Berks County community early this year.

In a LinkedIn post under the heading of "The Secret Ingredient," Poole noted that Danny Moran, who has autism, is the chef in charge of baking all the cookies served at the hotel and many of its catering functions.

Poole noted that Danny had recently celebrated his sixth year of employment at the hotel. The post included a picture of Danny with his father, Reading Mayor Eddie Moran, and Poole celebrating the young man's success.

"Now we are taking this same learning and approach for our appetizer items," Poole announced in the same LinkedIn post. "Because we have learned from Danny from his excellence — and focus he required when working — we are getting ready to start a new line of appetizers all assembled and prepared by adult autistic coworkers and we will use their gifts to create remarkable appetizers and sell through their catering company, the DoubleTree by Hilton and the Reading Country Club."

Claire said she was blown away by Poole's enthusiasm for her idea and buoyed by his think-bigger philosophy.

She will be designing the workspace to accommodate workers' special needs. Accommodations for people with autism including aiming to reduce or eliminate loud noises and minimize hectic, highly trafficked areas.

People with autism want to be fully included in the workplace, she said. They just need help to get there and support to succeed on the job.

Helping employers

The advocacy part of the foundation is to educate employers on the benefits of hiring people with autism. Traits such as intensive attention to detail, affinity for repetitive tasks and the ability to detect patterns and retain large amounts of information can be assets in certain roles.

Claire points to research that shows people with autism, when provided with an encouraging and supportive environment, can demonstrate great reliability, punctuality, conscientiousness and commitment to their jobs. Because of their preference for maintaining habits and routines that work for them, once they are settled into a job they often remain in a role longer than other employees.

As envisioned by Claire, Positively Produced Foundation will help employers at all stages, from developing job descriptions and recruiting to interviewing and providing ongoing support and workplace accommodations.

Many obstacles to inclusion of those with autism in the workplace can be overcome through education of employers to expand their awareness of differences of neurodiverse workers, Claire said.

As a teen, Michael interned as a helper in a veterinary hospital — a job his mother felt was a good fit for his interests and skills. The business ultimately decided he wasn't a good fit.

Claire learned from his supervisor that after completing an assigned task, Michael would be found reading a newspaper in the break room.

Michael bristles when he hears his mother tell that story: "That was back in high school. You're never going to let me forget about that."

The point, Claire said, is that Michael thought that after completing that specific task, he would be given another task when something needed to be done. He didn't understand the unspoken part — to go to his supervisor and ask for another task.

People with autism do better with literal language and when they have clearly defined targets.

"If we could have said, 'Listen, you tell him what to do.'" she said. "'You give him parameters. Look what he's able to produce for you.'"

Michael will serve in various roles with the Positively Produced Foundation, he and Claire said. He'll make appetizers, provide input on the design of the workplace and, most critically, write grants.

In the latter role, he'll finally be putting his professional writing degree to productive use.

Positively Produced Foundation

What: Introductory gala for Positively Produced

When: Aug. 25, 5:30 p.m.

Where: DoubleTree by Hilton hotel, Reading.

Program: Keynote speaker is Michael John Carly, an author, consultant and former director of the Global and Regional Asperger Syndrome Partnership, or GRASP.

Information: For tickets or to contact Claire Malfaro, go to positivelyproducedfoundation.com.