Hello, my name is Ted Lyde. This is my son Jackson. Jackson is a nonverbal, special needs young man with global delays. He is 21, but he is at about 7 years old developmentally. Jackson is finishing his time in the Los Angeles Unified School District.

This means he will need a safe, well-staffed place to spend his days very soon. There are places that handle special needs adults, but most of them are very expensive and overcrowded.

Jackson’s mother and I would like to ultimately start a nonprofit that would create a new activity-based vision and a reliable, safe, clean, well-staffed place where our son can go every workday and be with a peer group and make lots of friends.

We need help giving Jackson and people with his challenges an adult life that is greater than being warehoused.