So my son, Drew, and I decided to try our hand at raising French Angora rabbits. I had read about Angora rabbits being raised for their wool in a farm memoir by Jenna Woginrich, Barnheart, and I thought, "Wouldn't that be a really cool job for Drew." I sat down with Drew and told him that, because he was 17 years old and only had 1 1/2 years of school left, he needed to think about what he would do for work. That he couldn't just sit around the house, watching TV and playing video games and taking our pug, Otis, for walks. He needed to do something productive.
I told him that I had an idea, that he would be able to work with animals, he wouldn't have to answer a lot of questions, he could wear what he wanted to, and he could do it from home. These are all really important to Drew. Because he is autistic, his social skills development is not on par with his age-peers. Questions are particularly hard for him, both asking them and answering them. His sensory issues make it difficult, if not impossible, for him to wear long sleeves or anything that isn't soft cotton. He is also an introvert. I know that because I have known extraverted autistic people as well and the differences between them and Drew are pretty clear on that scale. Sometimes people forget that autistic people have personality characteristics that are separate from their diagnosis.
I told him that we could get some rabbits and that I would show him some photos and videos online of my idea of raising Angora rabbits for their wool. We have a pretty healthy fiber community in our area and I thought we could probably connect with them as well as sell on Etsy or something like that. I didn't think we were going to get rich or even "make a living." I just thought that framing it as a business rather than a hobby and at least trying to break even was an important goal. We'll see what happens.
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