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Determined Designer

Essex, Vermont - August 14, 2009

It's obvious to anyone who knows Travis Clark that he loves designing and making jewelry. He chuckles, "I could work from 3:00 in the morning until 8:00 at night, and still be happy!"

But what's harder to see is what else is going in Clark's head. "I represent autism," Clark says.

The 30 year old was diagnosed with the brain development disorder in 2006, answering a question about why Clark struggled with communication most of his life. "I started from non-functional to completely functional at this point," he explains. Asked how it was growing up, Clark laughs, "I think medication helps a lot!"

Clark's family remembers he would collect stones almost obsessively as a child: the kind of behavior typical of autism. That would later become more focused in an Essex High School fine arts program. Clark then got formal training through apprenticeships, a jewelry school, and jobs with other designers. "And now it's time to have my own business," Clark says.

People with autism have a wide range of social impairments, so experts say fitting into traditional workplaces can be tricky. Rather than being challenged interacting with a boss and co-workers, experts say self-employment is often a good option for some with autism.

Linda Luxenberg, director of the New England Autism Center in South Burlington, adds, "When you have your own business, and you're building on your interests and strengths, that's the perfect formula for a person to be successful. And that's what we want to build in people who have autism, who have very significant talents as well as deficits socially with communication, in most cases."

Now the jeweler wants to help. He produces pendants and other decorative puzzle pieces: the symbol of autism awareness. He sells them through the New England Autism Center and on his regional craft show circuit as a fundraiser for research and support programs

Travis Clark's "Made in Vermont" jewelry puts a public shine on his personal concerns. Click here for a link to the artisan's website.

Jack Thurston - WCAX News - Made in Vermont