Pre-Vocational Skills for Adults

The Art Garden is an innovative adult pre-vocational skills training program for adults with autism and developmental disabilities who are over 21 years of age. The Autism Center of Nebraska, Inc. (ACN) showcases The Art Garden as an “artists collective,” with all of our individuals serving as both artists and business professionals of this distinctive art goods retail store. The Autism Center of Nebraska, Inc., (ACN) proudly presents this special concept as one of a few certified adult day services programs of its kind.  Not only are our artists learning how to unlock their creative potential and work together to create remarkable specialty artwork, craft designs, jewelry, woodwork, glassware, and home and garden décor, our amazing artists are, more importantly, learning pre-vocational skills to prepare them for employment opportunities in the community. We believe that The Art Garden is a welcoming place for individuals with autism and other developmental disabilities to thrive creatively and professionally, while enjoying opportunities for growing relationships.

Many of us take for granted some of the basic vocational skills we have learned naturally through our social, educational, and professional experiences. In order to obtain a job, we must hone certain pre-vocational skills. Unfortunately, many adults with autism and other developmental disabilities have slipped through the cracks, and have not received formal job-readiness training for specific employability skills. This is why, according to recent statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the percentage of adults with autism in the workforce is only 22%. ACN wants to raise that number, and The Art Garden provides training opportunities to adequately prepare our individuals for success in the workplace. Here are just a few of the pre-vocational skills we teach in our adult day services: