Farmingdale AABR branch offers a helping hand for adults with autism

For 66-year-old Malcom Lassiter, finding services and opportunities for people on Long Island like him — an adult with autism and other developmental disabilities — had remained a challenge since he moved to Massapequa from his parents' home in Queens.

That changed Thursday when the Farmingdale branch of Queens-based nonprofit AABR opened with a vow to offer job training, volunteering opportunities and group trips to museums, zoos and sporting events through its "Program Without Walls."

With parents in their 90s, Lassiter moved to Massapequa in 2024 to live with his sister, Kendra Lassiter Watson. 

At an opening ceremony attended by her brother, elected officials and representatives from AABR's Farmingdale office and its headquarters in College Point, Queens, Watson said options for adults with developmental disabilities shrink as they age.

"The program is definitely needed because it gives people with disabilities something to do," Watson said. "Malcolm is 66 years old and is technically a senior citizen. … this gives him an activity."

AABR's Farmingdale office is the latest attempt to expand such programs on Long Island for adults living with autism. In April, Newsday highlighted these efforts in recognition of Autism Acceptance Month.

In January, Newsday reported that QSAC Inc., a Manhattan-based nonprofit focused on the autism community, planned to expand services on Long Island to include instruction on communication, money management and ways to live independently.

Nationwide, one in 45 adults have some form of autism, according to Autism Speaks, a nonprofit that provides services and information about autism nationwide. Among children, 1 in 31 have autism. Four of 100 boys have autism and among girls, it's one in 100, according to Autism Speaks.

Officials with AABR, which stands for All Abilities Beloved & Respected, said the demand on Long Island remains high.

"We’ve come to Long Island to really address an unmet need for people needing services who have developmental disabilities and autism," said CEO Libby Traynor. "We’ve been so successful in the New York City area with our Without Walls program and we heard the cry of parents here on Long Island that there just weren't enough services. When we did our market research and talked to families and school systems, they said this was the spot to come, this Farmingdale area right here on the Nassau-Suffolk line."

Darae Smith, who also has autism, told Newsday that the Program Without Walls has allowed him to help himself and others.

"What we do is we go out into the community like food pantries and help give out food to people in need," Smith said Thursday at the opening ceremonies. "It gives us opportunities and it's really good ... I like it."