In May 1998, a group of parents of autistic young people came together to establish the Foundation for Parents of Children with Autism, recognized as a non-profit organization serving the public good. The Foundation's most ambitious initiative is the Cascina Rossago Project: an agricultural-residential facility
From the Project Statement
Independence, work, marriage, children—none of this lies within reach for a young person with autism. When mandatory schooling ends, a terrifying void opens before them: no services, no structures, no credible prospects for life.
Yet one certainty emerges: if autistic individuals are given a stable, organized, affectionate, and tolerant living environment—one animated by a constant commitment to rehabilitation—they continue on their own singular and meaningful path of growth, expressing their humanity, and developing new abilities and skills.
The Cascina Rossago project aims to be a pilot attempt at providing a concrete and realistic response to these challenges.
A Viable Project
Cascina Rossago drew inspiration from similar projects already underway abroad.
The technical and scientific plan was developed in close collaboration with the Autism Laboratory at the Department of Health and Psychobehavioral Sciences at the University of Pavia.
It calls for Italy's first Farm Community, built on twelve hectares recently purchased by the Foundation in the Oltrepò Pavese region.
The facility will house 24 autistic adults, admitted gradually from age eighteen onward.
Life there will revolve around the varied activities of a working farm. Labor and rehabilitation and psychoeducational programs will alternate in a protected setting.
The project was estimated to cost four billion lire. The Foundation's own resources and public funding could cover slightly more than half this amount; the remainder would depend on private donations.
THE CASCINA ROSSAGO SITE AND HOW IT WILL BE ORGANIZED
From the Technical Report
"Agricultural residential communities have existed abroad for more than twenty years. Anyone who understands the actual circumstances of most autistic adults in cities will recognize that the agricultural setting is the most suitable context—though not the only possible one—for meeting these needs:
- A coherent living environment, rich in meaningful situations and stimuli, yet relatively simple and predictable, protected, organized, and stable.
- A place of protected and supported participation in a wide range of meaningful and purposeful work activities. For work to carry meaning as self-realization for an autistic person, it must be visibly and directly significant.
- A place where psycho-educational, therapeutic, and rehabilitative activity integrates constantly with the lives of autistic residents.
The community's guiding philosophy sees communication as the key function disrupted in autism—the area on which rehabilitation efforts must focus. We will maintain an openness toward the outside world for all residents. The farm will engage in both economic and cultural exchange with surrounding communities, and residents will participate as fully as possible. Considerable emphasis will be placed on recreational, artistic, craft, and expressive activities.
Educators will be chosen not only for their training and credentials but also for specific personal and motivational qualities. They will receive both theoretical and practical, on-site training.
Parents' participation is essential. It ensures that initial motivations do not fade and that the transformative drive and ethical inspiration animating such enterprises do not deteriorate over time.
Plainly, the complexity and delicacy of managing a community of this kind—with all its challenges—means that parental participation must be organized coherently with the community's needs and the work carried out there.
Update
The project was subsequently realized and has borne fruit. For more information, visit the official website.