Connecting Children with Autism to Job Opportunities: Mehreen Hussain

Raising two children with autism, Mehreen Hussain is well acquainted with the struggles most parents face due to the lack of public understanding. “Things can just blow up out of the blue,” Mehreen said, “so it helps if there is somebody else with you who is making sure that things are progressing.” She continued, “Like, just before you called me, my daughter was crying her eyes out, because she was eating spicy chips and she rubbed her eyes. So we wiped down everything that she had touched.” Mehreen wanted to help not only the parents in her position but also the kids whose difficulties she knew all too well. With some online research and the seed of an idea, she turned that first-hand experience into a desire for action.

“I wanted to start a program or consulting for people who want to do autism entrepreneurship,” she said. “I have two kids who are on the spectrum, and they're adults now. I looked around and did not see much work being done in this area, especially for those who are not high functioning.” After doing some initial research and creating a group on LinkedIn, Mehreen’s plan began to take clearer shape. She hoped to create a database of autism entrepreneurship opportunities, helping connect children with autism to the resources needed to succeed in the job market. “My objective was that I would maybe create two or three models that could be followed by parents, schools, or any organization who would be interested.”

She had created an early-stage forum on social media for her organization, but felt uncertain about how to move forward. Then the pandemic hit and forced her to put things on pause. “I wasn't sure how I would take it to the next level. In the middle of the pandemic, my idea fell flat because both my kids were at home and I really just wasn't getting the time to work on it,” she said. She kept her idea on the back burner, and when her home life allowed, she revisited her idea and made some adjustments. “When things got a little better, the pandemic hadn't ended, but I got the idea that maybe instead of having some kind of consulting or something like that, I could start a YouTube channel.” 

Mehreen joined the Idealist Action Incubator in 2022. She shared that being part of the program made the difference for her idea. As a participant in the first cohort of the Idelaist Action Incubator, Mehreen met with a coach for guidance sessions. Mehreen shared, “The session helped me. My coach got me; she connected me with a database of people who had also run YouTube channels. She was very, very supportive.” Mehreen found her experience in the program to be extremely helpful, as it pushed her to make her idea more concrete and well-defined. Mehreen continues to work on starting her YouTube channel; Her family obligations made her table the idea a second time. However, she emphasized the importance of perseverance, advising patience during the development stage. She shared, “I first had this idea around 2018. Sometimes these things take time. If you're able to do it quickly, that’s well and good. If not, don't let go of it. If you have the passion for it and you want to do it, the universe will work and will help you to eventually do it.” 

In closing, Mehreen shared that the idea itself would change over time, and she found it essential to stay flexible about its final form. “It can look so many different ways,” she continued, “it's going to evolve. Be open to it evolving. Don't restrict yourself to the way it originally looked because things change, people change, and you yourself change.” Whether the channel launches this year or not, Mehreen has discovered one of the most important steps in the process: openness and resolve.

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Want to hear more stories about people making a difference? Meet Gonzalo, a fellow change-maker connecting people in Latin America to work opportunities in the climate sector.