Flowers definitely have power at Big Sewickley Creek Nursery.

As special-needs teens tend to the blossoms by watering, plucking, hauling and planting, the colorful blooms and plants also are providing a service to their caretakers.

The assignment provides the teens with a skill and gives them experience in the working world. Some might even end up caring for plants as a career one day.

It also has brought together two agencies that are helping each other to help others.

Since its opening in 1994, it has been the mission of Big Sewickley Creek Nursery to employ people with disabilities. Controlled Environmental Horticultural Foundation, which oversees the nursery, has hired about 75 people with disabilities since then. Presently, five are employed there. George Jones and John Helbling are partners in the business and foundation.

The foundation also partners with CCAC- North to provide a program for its special-needs adult initiative in the college's horticultural certificate program.

Although the foundation has been working with special-needs employees for 14 years, this summer is the first time the Harry S. Tack Education Center at the Watson Institute in Sewickley has been involved with the facility.

Leslie Corey, Watson's community based instruction coordinator, says 10 students have been working at the nursery everyday since June 30 and will continue until Aug. 1.

The teens work from 9 a.m. to noon and then go to Watson's Gate House, where they learn vocational skills, such as setting up shelves, doing house keeping, learning clerical skills and more until 3 p.m. each day. They also go into the community to buy groceries and practice other life skills.

The new summer day program is called SCALE (Social Community Activities for Life Experiences). It is one of two summer programs for teens with disabilities --some who are students at Watson's education center and some who were referred by public schools served by Watson.

Through this initiative, the education center is a partner with many school districts, providing services to 87 students, by consulting with their special education teachers and assessing and diagnosing students who need special help. Watson workers also help students find work experience within their local community.

Corey says the purpose of the community-based instruction program, which has been in operation at Watson for nearly 10 years, is to supply vocational assessments to see what students like, what they don't like and what they are good at.

Students as young as 8 and as old as 21, from the center and public schools, are placed in a variety of work environments all year long. Watson is a partner with more than 45 employers in Allegheny and Beaver counties and follows all fair labor laws.

Students who are determined to be physically and socially able to go out into the community are chosen for the work program and are not paid. Corey says the program is all about assessment to see what the kids might like to do as a career.

A job coach goes to work with the students each day. The number of days and hours they work depends on their abilties. Some do such a good job, they are hired.

Although the program goes on all year long, Corey says Watson administrators wanted to provide a summer camp for teens since there really was nothing in place for the older kids.

However, the institute does provide the younger kids with WISP (Watson Institute Summer Program), which sets up kids with an aide at camps all throughout the area, such as those at Sewickley Valley YMCA and Beaver County YMCA.

Other lower-functioning younger students have their summer camp at the institute on Camp Meeting Road.

SCALE is Watson's first extended school year program for its older students.

The Autism College and Community Life Acclimation and Intervention Model (ACCLAIM), developed by psychologists at The Watson Institute, was piloted at University of Pittsburgh for four weeks this summer.

Many adolescents diagnosed with high-functioning autism disorders may have the cognitive ability to attend college but lack the social, organizational and daily living skills to be successful there, says Shari Bruce, Watson Institute communication specialist.

Students, highly functioning autistics who have Asperger's Disease, toured the campus, sat in on classes and socialized in the William Pitt Union. They received instruction on time-management techniques, the differences between high school and college courses, and practical issues, such as residence life.

Bruce says these students are very intelligent and could do very well in college. That program will be extended to a full-year initiative not only at Pitt but also at other colleges and universities.

Another younger teen camp, STAT (Summer Therapeutic Activities for Teens), was offered this summer.

Bruce says the camp is specifically designed to encourage social interaction among teens. Each participant creates a camp project, perhaps about a topic learned in social skills training, or a skit or musical performance that is presented during an open house at the conclusion of the camp.

"This group is of younger teens not quite thinking about college yet," she says.

"As they get older they may be more appropriate for the ACCLAIM camp."

After graduating from Watson programs, these students may be referred to other adult agencies that can help them to get a job or more training. They may go on to colleges, like CCAC-North, that have programs specifically designed for them.

Corey says the institute has evolved a lot over the years. At one time, D.T. Watson not only provided educational programs but also was a rehabilitation hospital. It provided both educational and medical services for those who could not stay at home. The medical facility was sold to Health South in 1999, and Watson opened the doors of its education center in 2004.

For more information about the Watson Institute, located at 301 Camp Meeting Road, Sewickley, call 412-741-1800 or log onto www.stewartfh.com.