Many neurodiverse students face challenges, so getting their first paycheck is an especially big deal for them.
The Bainbridge Island Metro Parks and Recreation District was the first employer for many at its first Neurodiverse Student Conservation Corps.
“The jobs reserved for neurodivergent people are often the jobs that nobody wants — garbage, cleaning up towels, so on. So this was a cool opportunity for meaningful employment,” Cody Ogren said, BIMPD accessibility coordinator. “They’re helping the community, they’re seeing what they’re doing and getting that instant gratification. Students began to take ownership of their skills — their parents were dropping them off for work, and they’d tell me, ‘Dude, he’s pulling weeds at home.’”
Between June 25 and July 5, eight students with mental and physical disabilities teamed with six neurotypical peer mentors to perform maintenance in parks around BI as part of the first Neurodiverse SCC, an offshoot of its Student Conservation Corps. The team cleaned up 60 yards of invasive species, restored the work area with 100 native plants from dozens of species and spread 10 yards of mulch in treated areas.
The SCC has been a staple of BIMPD youth outreach for 14 years. But the success of the first Neurodiverse SCC team may be an indication of more opportunities for neurodiversity-friendly programming and employment in the parks. Grant funding came to about $30,000 — but organizers were “happy to see any money,” Ogren said.
“It was really cool to see that there is a need, and that the community and families welcomed it,” Ogren said. “I think we’re really starting something here.”
Developing job skills built all the students’ confidence and social network. Ogren recounted that the neurodiverse students and mentors stepped out of their comfort zones to forge friendships, play games and get the work done. The job also sparked the students to take their lives in a new direction: one peer mentor discovered that she wanted to be a second-grade teacher; one neurodiverse student was inspired to start his own invasive-species removal business, which he advertised to crew members with business cards; and many exchanged contact information.
“It was really cool for the peer mentors to see such a wide range [of ‘neurodiversity’], that not just this stereotypical neurodiverse person is what everybody is,” Ogren said. “It was really cool to watch these connections be made outside of the school system, where they might not have that relationship.”
Also at the Aug. 1 meeting, the parks district heard an update regarding the installation of 602 solar panels at the aquatic center and 305 panels at the recreation center, which would generate 476 kilowatts of energy for the buildings — an excess of their current electricity usage. There are no plans yet to install the panels. While about 70% of the cost is already covered by grants, it is unknown whether the remaining 30% can be covered by federal tax credits. It would cost about $450,000 to install the panels.
“We’re still meeting with grants managers and gaining a lot of knowledge and information, mostly pro bono,” parks superintended David Harry said. “But we’re leaving with more questions than we started with.”
Finally, parks authorized commissioner Tom Swolgaard to sign off on a letter regarding the islandwide Comprehensive Plan Update, which includes zoning updates to Winslow and other neighborhood centers, in addition to environmental impact report updates, on behalf of the parks district. In the letter, parks staff emphasizes the importance of a “park zoning” element to the plan, which would allow BIMPD to more independently manage the permitting process on their properties, including development and trail standards.
