A game-changing exploration of what the future holds for the first
generation of mainstreamed neurodiverse kids that is coming of age.
After sleepless nights, intensive research, and twenty-one years of
raising a child, Ethan, with autism and intellectual disability, Cammie
McGovern is approaching a distinct catch-22. Once Ethan turns
twenty-two, he will fall off the Disability Cliff. By aging out of the
school system, he'll lose access to most social, educational, and
vocational resources. The catch is this: These resources, limited as
they may be, have trained Ethan in skills for jobs that don't exist and
a life he can't have.
Here, McGovern expands on her #1 New York Times piece, Looking into
the Future for a Child with Autism, a future that often appears grim,
with statistics like an 85 percent unemployment rate for people with ID.
McGovern spent a year traveling the country and looking at the options
for work and housing--and to her surprise discovered reasons to be
optimistic. She asks the tough questions: What should parents prioritize
as they ready their children for adulthood? How do we redefine success
for our children? How can we sustain a hopeful attitude while navigating
one obstacle after another?
As Ethan makes his way into the world, McGovern also looks into the
hardest question of all: How can we ensure an independent future when
we're gone? Hard Landings will serve as a renewed beacon of hope for
parents who want to ensure the fullest life possible for their child's
future.