At Nassau Suffolk Services for Autism, students make wares for Valentine's Day sale

Michelle Raguso flashed a smile as she carefully decorated a seashell with multicolored hearts for Valentine's Day at the Nassau Suffolk Services for Autism. “I want to teach you!” she said last week as volunteers praised her attention to detail.

Raguso, 31, who was born with autism, arrived at the Hauppauge-based organization at age 5 with behavioral issues and lacking verbal skills. Through the years, she has gained verbal skills and more. Today, she holds several jobs through the nonprofit’s adult services school, The Martin C. Barell School for Autism in Commack. It includes baking, farming and, through the NSSA shop, craftwork such as painting shells and making bracelets.

Raguso's mother, Joann, of East Northport, said by making handcrafted items, her daughter gains independent skills while doing something she loves.

“She’s very neat and she loves to organize everything,” Joann said, adding that programs like this “show us what these individuals are really capable of and what their potential really is when they have this kind of intervention.”

Learning valuable skills

The NSSA shop, which operates from the nonprofit's Commack headquarters, gives students and adult participants the opportunity to make handcrafted items that are sold to the public. Recently, the shop launched a Valentine’s Day collection featuring crystal and clay bracelets known as “Embracelets” — handmade by those with autism who are served by the nonprofit.

The sales from the Valentine’s Day collection support functional and vocational training for individuals with whom the nonprofit works. 

At the Hauppauge Road headquarters, Raguso sat at a work station surrounded by other autistic students and adults, counting, sorting and stringing pink and white beads for the bracelets, and painting the Valentine’s Day shells.

Katie Reres, vocational coordinator for NSSA who runs the bracelet program, said that craft making at the program, which started in 2018, offers students a way to practice fine motor skills and communication skills, among others, while providing them employment.

“These are very important skills, not only for the vocational aspect, but a lot of them take a lot of pleasure in this,” Reres said. “It’s very fine motor tasks, it’s attention to detail, which our guys thrive on … and for some, it’s a leisure activity. It’s part of an in-house social enterprise for them, so they are very valued parts of our team.”

The program has grown over time. One bracelet sold on Halloween went viral and helped the nonprofit sell hundreds more.

A success story

Bobby Dempsey, 18, of Smithtown, at his work station, counted Egyptian blue beads for one bracelet. Dempsey used a yellow counting table to help him keep track of how many beads he used. “I love making bracelets,” he said with a smile as he worked.

His mother, Marianne Dempsey, 54, who enrolled her son in the program when he was 6, said it offers her son and those living with autism not only valuable skills, but also hope that they can continue to grow and thrive. Marianne said she is hoping her son can find employment as he gets older.

“There’s so many different skills that they can be taught, whether it’s communication, money, time management, organization, and he loves it. He does very well with it,” Dempsey said. “If you told me when he was 7 that he would be doing this, I never would’ve believed it, but that’s a testimony to the school and the program … Bobby’s success tells you the whole story.”

More information on the Valentine’s Day sale can be found on Nassau Suffolk Services for Autism’s website, nssa.net.