ABSTRACT

Bittersweet Farms is owned and operated by a non-profit corporation, the Autistic Community of Northwest Ohio, Inc. The farmstead was immediately named “Bittersweet Farms” after a Bitter-sweet vine found in the field. Bittersweet Farms is a different place for autistic adults to live. The Bittersweet Farms program attempts to address the needs of autistic persons for growth in every area of life, using the farmstead and extended family community as the model. Bittersweet Farms serves developmentally disabled persons who by law are entitled to appropriate services. Bittersweet Farms was initially funded through Purchase of Service contracts with the Ohio Department of Mental Retardation. The Department contracts with private groups to provide residential services for a contracted reimbursement. Effective treatment is aimed at every part of the whole, with emphasis on integration rather than fragmentation. Work and play and living together on a farmstead can integrate rather than fragment life for the autistic.