“They eat, they taste, they smell, they pick, they touch...they can do just about everything here” Says Clifford Kepner. Clifford, along with his wife Kathy, live on a forty-five acre stretch of land that he calls Sunshine Garden. Over the past fifteen years, he and Kathy have transformed the place into a botanical garden full of water features, small ponds and nature trails. All of this has been made available to people with Autism.

“It’s ideal for our population,” Says Veronica Federiconi the Executive Director at Autistic Services, “because they can move around freely without much worry about wandering off. And there are so many things here that can engage them. You could call it an Outdoor Multi-Sensory Environment.”

As Cliff gives a tour of the garden, he points out plants that have exotic tactile surfaces, making them ideal for people with Autism. For instance, Lamb’s Ears are so soft that a single touch easily becomes addicting. “Pete really likes the flowers. He doesn’t engage too much, but if you give him the flowers – the Lamb’s flowers – he really responds to them.” Pete is a relatively new arrival to Sunshine Garden. His withdrawal from socializing is characteristic of many people with Autism. A commune with nature works better for him since it allows him to maintain personal space while still having the quiet company and stimulation offered by nature.

Cliff and Kathy are adept at turning nature’s resources into fun sensorial activities. Vegetables that were grown and planted as a group are later used for cooking activities that Kathy has prepared. To protect their vegetables from animals, the group has created a scarecrow named Lumpy Bumpy. Lumpy could have easily been named Lazy, since he prefers to carry out his oversight duties from a chair. With a Groucho Marx nose affixed to his face, Lumpy elicits more smiles then scares.

Cliff has also given himself a number of large scale projects for turning his forty-five acres into an outdoor multi-sensory environment. Currently, he is putting the finishing touches on a hand built water feature. Cliff has learned that water is a natural attraction for some people on the spectrum. “Susie really likes the water features. She really likes touching the water and will hang around it for awhile, so it works well.” Cliff is now building a second water feature. Stretching past the two Features are nature trails that encircle the flower beds.Along the way is a small bridge crossing over a pond, another example of Cliff’s handiwork. Besides the aesthetic appeal, the bridge allows the guys to get a closer look at the fish and frogs that populate the water.

"There are so many things here that can engage them.
You could call it an Outdoor Multi-Sensory Environment.”
                                                          - Veronica Federiconi

Cliff and Kathy have also migrated their ambitious projects indoors. An old stable for farm animals has been cleared out, cleaned up and customized into a space with few obstructions for those who enjoy pacing the room, rocking their bodies or swinging their arms. Those who don’t need quite so much space can wander into a nearby room, where they’ll find a model train set that extends across the perimeter of the walls. The train’s horn is a favorite for audio stimulation. Cliff says “They love blowing the horn. They’ll stand here and push the button all day.” However, if trains and trails still don’t cut it, there’s always the option of just sitting down and chilling out. Autistic or not, nature is the best remedy for sensory overload.

On cue, as Cliff and Kathy wrap up the tour, the Autistic Services van arrives. The doors open and a small class emerges. Sunshine Garden is a perfect fit for the often humorous and unique qualities of a person with Autism. To paraphrase Ralph Waldo Emerson; the Earth laughs with flowers.

Photos from the 2009 Mary Poppins Play Performance

  

  

  

Dates are a popular topic for someone on the Autism spectrum, and Neil Sanders, who is a friend of mine as well as a program participant with Autistic Services, never misses a chance to remind me (or anyone) that “this summer will be the last summer of the decade.” Through the eyes of Neil, this newsletter will be our last summer newsletter...for this decade. Thinking of it that way makes this issue special.

There are a lot of things we will need to celebrate before the decade is over. For instance, in June we held our 7th annual play performance at Depew High School. We thought we were kicking off the summer with our rendition of Mary Poppins, but as it turns out this was our last play performance of the decade. In fact, there are plenty of events that will be our last for this decade. Our June/July Exhibition at the Burchfield Penny Art Center was our first and last for the decade.

Also, our August art exhibitions at ArtSpace, Brodo restaurant and Langston Hughes Institute will also be our last for the decade. And I suppose that means that, yes, our Annual Arts Work Auction will be the last one that this decade will see. Throughout the year we have had plenty of art exhibitions that neither you nor I will ever see again. At least, not in this decade. “But not to worry”, as Neil would say, you can be sure that new exhibitions and events will take place at our regular venues in the coming decade.

Because Neil may read this, we will close this out by saying goodbye to the Summer of 2009. A bit rainy, yes, but a rainy summer is better than no summer, especially if it is going to be our last one for the decade. Neil and the rest of us will look forward to the summer of 2010 when we usher in our first play performance, summer newsletter and any other summer events we plan to do in the new decade.

Veronica Federiconi
Executive Director