"Next" Magazine Vol. 1 | Page 10

PHOTO COURTESY OF CHARLES BERTRAM / LEXINGTON HERALD-LEADER New study aims to help autistic adults build lives beyond school M elanie Tyner-Wilson is facing one of her toughest battles yet. She wants nothing more than to help her son Jay Tyner-Wilson, who is a person with autism, land his first job. Public school provided opportunities for Jay to gain volunteer vocational experience. There, he discovered he enjoyed working with animals — and school offered a repetitive, structured and routine environment. But Jay is 21 years old now and aged out of the school system in May. “The challenge is now finding a job,” said his mother. “That’s the golden X