Perhaps a freelancing site, such as oDesk? He can build up some basic references doing trivial technical work. He won't make much money as there will be a lot of competition, but many recruiters would rather hire from within the US if the cost made sense.
Or, he might be able to use freelancing online to establish a working relationship with a company that would hire him directly. It is just tough, the money is terrible and I think this guy is going to need more structure than working from home will provide. Self-starting is hard for anyone and our friend has had every minute regulated for the past 18 years.
