Mission

The founders of Autistry Studios, Janet Lawson and Daniel Swearingen are the parents of Ian, a young autistic man. Looking ahead for their son and what his life would be like after high school they were very unhappy with the lack of appropriate services, work choices, and living situations available for people like their son. In initially small steps they started working to fill this gap in services.

Combining Janet’s background as a licensed family therapist and Dan’s background in astrophysics and software engineering, they formed Autistry Studios in 2008 with just four students, housed in a backyard studio at their home.

Janet and Dan based the activities and projects for Autistry Studios on the interests of the individual participants. They quickly discovered that this approach was the perfect springboard for learning and motivation, and the program continued to grow and expand.

Autistry now offers several workshops, full-time programs, and onsite vocational training. In addition to our fully equipped workshop we have opened a downtown San Rafael facility with a retail store and coffee shop. And there is more to come!