Shakespeare’s Juliet said that a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. You might take that as a universal truth until you smell the roses at Guilford’s Roses for Autism, where the roses have their own distinctive, fragrant smell. “That’s a Connecticut rose. You don’t get that in a grocery store,” says Executive Director Michelle Ouimette, swelling with pride. Different roses are cultivated for different characteristics, like length, color and smell, Ouimette says. As with the breeding of any plant, one characteristic is prioritized at the expense of another. A rose with a classic long stem might have a muted, fainter smell than a rose cultivated for that purpose.
The roses at Roses for Autism are bred for their smell, but that’s not the only purpose of the state’s lone commercial rose farm. In fact, it’s not even the most important reason. Ouimette says the 501(c)3 social enterprise has three goals, and none of them have to do directly with selling flowers. First, Roses For Autism strives to help individuals with autism gain employment in the community, in jobs they enjoy, by providing training that can be used elsewhere. Second, the organization helps people in what is known as the “transition age” bridge the gap from “school days to pay days,” Ouimette says. These years can be difficult times for a young person on the autism spectrum, as they age out of support from local schools, and are looking for their first job. Those living with autism can find it difficult to communicate and form relationships, skills essential for many entry-level positions. A third of the workforce at Roses for Autism at any given time lives with the condition, and since its founding in 2009, the organization has placed nearly 70 people in jobs in the wider community. According to advocacy organization Autism Speaks, as many as 90 percent of those with autism are either unemployed or underemployed. “We’ve been able to prove that you give very specific, intense support for a couple of years, and then you can place people. And then, not only are they more independent, they’re happier, they have a sense of purpose, they feel like they’re part of the community,” Ouimette says.
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