Mom believes her son ‘deserves the best’
Adam Johnson was diagnosed with autism at age 2.
“Adam just loved school. He loved everything about it. He liked being around the people. He liked all of the socialization. He liked the jobs he got to do. His last job was at Tractor Supply. He helped with stocking. He put purchases in people’s cars. He cleaned up the parking lot. He picked up buggies. Whatever they needed him to do, he did. After life skills in the morning, the students would focus on more of the academic side in the afternoon.
“The big challenge came after Adam graduated in May. He still wanted to go to school. He’d grab his backpack and get ready. It was so tough for me to watch, I would actually have to leave. David would explain to him every day, ‘You graduated. You don’t get to go back to school.’ The next day, he’d get ready all over again. This went on for a couple of weeks. It broke my heart.
“We’ve been looking for a new place for him to go. We visited a few, but I just wasn’t comfortable with them. There really isn’t anything on the east side of town that I would put my child in. I want it to be the best. He deserves the best, just like any other child. He would love to have a structured day where he feels like he’s accomplishing something.
“I wish that companies, the community, would reach out a little more and help utilize people with special needs like Adam. They need to realize that he can accomplish things. He can do things that need to be done; things that other people generally don’t want to do. We’re hoping that something comes along for him. We’re still looking.”
— Tracie Johnson
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