One of the goals of Kelsey Olsen's autistic support classroom at Elizabethtown Area High School is to provide opportunities for students to hone their life and work skills. Thanks to a unique partnership with a local business, that just became a little easier.

Olsen's students have created soaps, lotions, tote bags and T-shirts, which they now sell at Naturally Gifted by Jeri, located on the square in Elizabethtown.

All items created by the students are sold under the business name Autism Specialty Co. The project began as an in-school business earlier this year when a parent of one of Olsen's students approached her about making T-shirts. Although they added those eventually, the students started with handmade soaps and lotions. "I make my own soaps and lotions, so I was already familiar with how to do it," Olsen recalled. They began selling the products in school and to family members. "We did so well, we decide to expand to apparel," Olsen stated. The students sell tote bags, T-shirts, long-sleeved shirts, polo shirts and jackets that feature unique artwork they designed. Designs include an abstract self-portrait, a dragon inspired by "Raya and the Last Dragon," a cat playing a guitar and a John Deere 111 riding mower. Soon, the class had also created a website for its products, and the students were able to reach an even bigger customer base.

One day, Jeri Culbertson, owner of Naturally Gifted by Jeri, saw a Facebook post about the Autism Specialty Co. and was intrigued. "Their products were locally made, all natural, vegan and cruelty-free," Culbertson said. "It fit exactly with what I promote and sell here. Everything I have is all natural and handcrafted." Culbertson contacted Olsen about selling the students' products in her store. "I want to lift people up with what I do and what I sell," she stated. "I'm always on the lookout for new and different items. The students are very excited about this, and I'm excited, too."

On a Wednesday in February, several of Olsen's six students visited Culbertson's store, bringing soaps, lotions and T-shirts with them. Olsen explained that the process for making soaps and lotions starts with each student choosing two essential oil scents. Those are mixed together, and each student takes a sniff and then votes on his or her favorites, which are made into the final product. "We're doing some limited-edition scents seasonally," Olsen stated. "We just did a rose and coconut for Valentine's Day and a strawberry-eucalyptus." Other scents include peppermint-lemongrass and tea tree-pumpkin.

Proceeds from sales of the products are used to fund Community-Based Instruction, Olsen remarked, noting that each week, the class learns about a specific topic such as grocery shopping, then takes a field trip - for example, to a grocery store to purchase food to bring back to school and cook. "We've gone to the laundromat to learn how to do laundry. We've gone to a sit-down restaurant, ordered, eaten and paid for our food."

Olsen emphasized that Autism Specialty Co. has exceeded her expectations. "We are over the moon with how successful this has been," she said. "The E-town community has been so welcoming to us. We've had so many E-town orders, but we've had out-of-state orders, too."

For more information on the Autism Specialty Co., visit https://autismspecialtyco.square.site. For more information on Naturally Gifted by Jeri, visit https://naturallygiftedbyjeri.com.