Meet the Florida car wash with an all-autistic workforce
Rising Tide Car Wash was set up by Jonn D'Eri to help his son
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.It started off a project by John D’Eri who wanted to find a job for his younger son, Andrew, who has autism. Today, the Rising Tide Car Wash is a success story that employs 35 autistic men and women
"We wanted to build an example big and bold and out there that other companies could go ahead and want to emulate,” Andrew's brother Tom D’Eri, 25, told ABC News.
Tom D’Eri said the car wash was his brother’s first business. He did not like it at first but the family started to noticed positive changes within just a few weeks.
“Typically people with autism are really good at structured tasks, following processes, attention to detail,” said Mr D’Eri. “So we saw that they’re really important skills that people with autism have that make them, in some case, the best employees you can have.”
The Rising Tide Car Wash was opened in Parkland, Florida, in 2013. Many of the autistic employees suffered bullying at school. Mr D’Eri said once they start working, they learn confidence.
He added: “Once they start working with us they start getting positive reinforcement of doing a good job, a customer being happy, getting a tip, that really starts to open them up.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments