Man Hired 80 People With Disabilities After Opening a Car Wash for His Autistic Son

With the current economy, finding a job is hard even for a normal person, but especially for people with disabilities. That is why this Dad opened up a car specifically for his autistic son. He could’ve stopped there, but instead, he went on to help 80 more people by hiring them despite their disabilities, and they’re still growing.

Image Credits: Rising Tide Car Wash

A Father’s Mission to Empower His Son

John D’Eri saw Andrew, his autistic son, having a hard time finding employment after finishing school, which can be attributed to several factors, such as the bad economy and his disability. Naturally, as a father, he feared for the future of his son, so he started a business considering the strengths and weaknesses of his son, and ended up with the Rising Tide Car Wash.

John, along with his other son, Tom, bought a failing car wash in Florida back in 2011. Their goal was clear, and it was to make this a successful venture that focuses on helping people with disabilities like Andrew. Society will definitely benefit more if others follow their lead by implementing inclusive practices and recognizing that people have varied strengths and weaknesses, even if they have autism or not.

Read more: Scoop Upworthy

Building a Business Around Neurodiversity

Hiring people with autism: how one car wash turned it into a winning formula

Remember that the main goal of John is to secure the future of his son, so the D’Eri family’s business, Rising Tide Car Wash, was designed from the moment they bought it in 2011 to maximize the strengths of people with disabilities like Andrew, while taking into account their weaknesses. Most people with autism actually excel in jobs that require logical thinking, such as mathematics, science, engineering, and tasks that have a structured flow, where they only need to follow a step-by-step plan.

That is why a car wash business was perfect, no need for complex interactions with other customers, since it is expected that the job is to make sure the car is clean both inside and outside. This is a unique approach that not only gave jobs to people with disabilities, it also made the car wash a successful venture due to how good they are at following the structured plan.

Expanding Opportunities and Impact

Since its inception in 2011, the Rising Tide Car Wash has grown to 3 locations across Florida. Now, about 90% of their employees are people with disabilities, like the owner’s son, Andrew. He is actually one of the leading examples for the new hires.

As of today, all the locations have employed more than 80 people with disabilities of different kinds. Tom, the other son, said that they wanted to create a brand around the people with autism’s capabilities, and recognize that they also have a lot to bring to the table.

Read more: NDTV

Redefining Success Through Inclusion

Rising Tide Car Wash’s story challenges conventional beliefs about neurodiverse individuals. People with autism have an unemployment rate as high as it is because society looks at them as people with disabilities, instead of being a diverse group, which is what the D’Eri family wants to show the world. That individuals like Andrew are capable of much more, even becoming the focal core of a successful business.

Car wash empowers its workers with autism

Author's Final Thoughts

John D’Eri’s initiative exemplifies how personal challenges in this world can lead to societal change and benefits. His son has autism, and that led him to focus on helping not only his own but all the others like him, too.

By creating Rising Tide Car Wash, his original goal of securing the future of his son is now accomplished. But now also serves as a powerful story of the impact of inclusive practices on the world of business and society as a whole.

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