Sip, Support, & Soar Together
Nearly 80% of adults with autism aren't
successfully employed
Help us change that
What We're Doing
Migration by Bluebird is a therapeutic workplace, providing hands on vocational training and therapy to adults on the spectrum in a functioning business. We will be building foundational, transferable vocational skills that can be applied in a variety of workplaces and allow our community members to obtain and maintain outside employment. Our goal is to bridge the significant gap between successful interventions for children and the sparsity of those equally needed services for adults.
As a nonprofit 501(c)(3) reliant on donations and grants, we will be able to provide the services not deemed medically necessary or covered by private insurance and Medicaid. Migration’s overarching goal is to empower our community members to successfully and joyfully navigate the world in which they live. Our community culture embraces the beauty of autism and values acceptance, cooperation, and the concept of treating people the way they want to be treated. We believe in the power of individualized therapy, provided ethically, compassionately and with integrity. We know that it will be a driving force in changing the trajectory of this remarkable population and look forward to watching it unfold.
Manifest Migration 2024
Mission:
Our mission is to provide empirically validated treatment to decrease the unemployment rate of the ASD population, while increasing independence and meaningful inclusion in our community.
Vision:
Migration’s vision is an environment of inclusivity that fosters acceptance, enhances awareness, and provides support to individuals with autism across their lifespans.
Why We're Doing It
Bluebird has been providing home and community based services in Austin since 2015. We repeatedly run into insurance denials for any treatment deemed vocational or custodial in nature, and insurers are decreasing services for teens and adults in general. Their rationale is that those skills aren’t medically necessary or related to the core deficits of the ASD diagnostic criteria. We look at our clients’ needs and the statistics on the rest of the adult ASD population, and disagree with that stance. While Bluebird exclusively provides ABA therapy, Migration simply relies on the underlying tenets of understanding the functions of behavior, reinforcement-based instruction, and data-driven decision making. These are widely known to be extremely effective methods for teaching a variety of developmental milestones not achieved for some individuals without direct instruction. We believe the same can and should be said for skills necessary to transition to productive, rewarding adulthoods.
The simple, unfortunate truth is that there aren’t enough organizations or resources targeting this need at all. We are rising to the challenge, and bringing with us a deep tool chest of research-validated strategies, a track record of successful outcomes, and an unwavering passion to help our “big birds”
Skills Addressed
- Vocational skills (hard and soft)
- Self management
- Executive functioning
- Social communication
- Interpersonal skills
- Self-advocacy
- Activities of daily living
Programs
Migration Mercantileand Cafe
Serving drinks, treats and gifts created by artisans with autism in Austin and nationwide.
Individualized
Therapy
Providing evidence-based supports targeting skills needed to succeed professionally and personally.
Local Business Training and Job Support
Helping employers and employees succeed together over time.
CommunityEvents
We will host a variety of events to provide opportunities for shared, social experiences.
How We’re Different
Hover or Click to Read More
ASD Specific
Behavior Support
Community Involvement
How you can help!
In addition to financial contributions and fundraising partners, we will need a lot of help to establish and maintain our program. We are looking for:
- Local businesses interested in providing employment / internship opportunities.
- Professionals who would like to provide information / tours / exposure to different career paths.
- Community mentors
- In-kind donations of needed services and supplies.
- Individuals with autism interested in selling their products in our shop.
Donate Now
Please spread the word and stay tuned for updates!
Timeline:
We have a long road of development ahead and hope to be open to the public in fall of 2025.