ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — According to data from the U.S. Department of Labor, employment among people with disabilities is down 20% from 2019.

But a local program in Winter Garden aims to change that.

At the Special Hearts Farm, Deanna Blitch is hard at work gathering hay, feeding animals, and tending to animals. Despite having a learning disability, the farm not only gives her enjoyment but purpose each day.

“We are getting the hay out for the cows and the sheep,” Blitch said. 

Five years ago, Orange County Public Schools teacher Kathy Meena forged the Special Hearts Farm program to help educate and train individuals with autism and intellectual disabilities.

“I wanted to create some type of opportunity for them to have at school," Meena said. "I wanted them to have a job that was meaningful, a job that they could do every day.”

Blitch and others not only learn how to care for animals, but how to harvest vegetables, and even how to make goat milk soap.

“We are working with several local farms to try and create opportunities for our students to get jobs,” Meena said.

Jade McFarland is a young adult and can be seen planting roots for herself to one day grow and becoming a horticulturist. 

“We water the garden everyday," McFarland said as she watered the garden. "Then we harvest the veggies and the fruits that need to be picked.” 

The hope is to help those like Jade learn the skills needed to one day get a job on a farm, and also offer opportunities to others who have aged out of school like Deanna. 

Because OCPS partners with the Special Hearts Farm the program had to move to all virtual last spring through the summer. In the fall, students were allowed back on the farm since so many activities are outdoors and spaced out.