ORLANDO, Fla. — About one in six children ages 3 to 17 are diagnosed with a developmental disability in the U.S. according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

For parents, these diagnostics often mean one or both of them have to stay home to be the main caregiver of their children.

As the children become adults, another challenge comes along with high unemployment numbers for individuals with disabilities who often need accommodations and support to succeed in the workplace.

One organization in Central Florida is giving families hope and opportunities to help their loved one's transition into a work environment.

Blossom Artisanal is a division of Quest, Inc., an organization with a mission to offer employment opportunities to individuals with developmental disabilities.

“How we are doing that at Blossom is we are providing jobs and meaningful employment. So today, what we’re working on is we’re putting together some soaps for a big order. We do soaps and candles,” Blossom Artisanal General Manager Scott Schrope said.

Pouring the right amount of wax is just the first step in the process of making a candle, something that’s now like second nature for Daniel Canora.

Early in life, Daniel was diagnosed with autism. His parents, Tammy and David Canora, founded Quest, Inc., where Daniel started receiving therapy and later attended the Quest Kids Academy.

He was in the first class to finish the program in 2023, along with his friend Nathan Hood, who also works at Blossom.

“I’ve known him for around 16 years,” Hood said. “He is a bundle of joy, and he likes to make us all laugh even when we were at school.”

From school friends to coworkers, Daniel and Nate started working together at Blossom Artisanal.

“We were concerned that the transition might be hard for him going from school to a work environment where there isn’t a teacher there all the time hovering over him, but he really just took to it and he really did, pardon the pun, blossom,” David said.

About 81% of individuals with developmental disabilities are unemployed. That’s one of the reasons why Blossom focuses on providing the right environment and support to foster independence.

Crystal Julsaint is the production coordinator at Blossom. She helped train the six employees that work there, including Daniel.

“I started with Daniel two years ago, very shy, kept to himself. He had his own little routine,” she said.

Over the years, she has seen the growth in Daniel, learning how to do every task independently, carefully following instructions.

“Dan became a social butterfly (…) he has grown and blossomed a lot,” Julsaint said.

Today, life for Daniel and his parents is better than they could have imagined.

“Maybe we underestimated Daniel, but since he’s been a Blossom, he’s just grown and made friends and just loves to be here. Looks forward to coming here every day,” Tammy said.

Most recently, Daniel has taken yet another step towards independent life, going back home on his own, using a Lynx transport service, allowing both parents to go back to working full time.

“It’s been great for our whole family, really. And his independence has been great. And riding the bus has been just, as David said, really a godsend to be able to let us work full time,” Tammy said.

At the end of the workday, he gets ready, goes through a checklist and packs everything up to go home.

Blossom Artisanal is opened to the public Monday through Friday. Their soaps and candles are also available for purchase online and 100% of the proceeds go to providing jobs and services to individuals with developmental disabilities.