We want to hear about your employment or entrepreneurial success story! NDSS is featuring stories from across the country from the perspective of employees and entrepreneurs with Down syndrome. Please complete the form below and submit a picture of a self-advocate in action!
I have been working for the Cleveland Browns since 2017 as a greeter. I love my job and meeting the fans. I like to get them excited about the game and cheer on my favorite football team, the Browns. My favorite thing about working for the Browns is meeting new people. I also like to pass out posters to the fans as they come in. I also work at Longhorn Steakhouse. I love my job there too! I help them out by preparing all the silverware for the lunch and dinner guests. My favorite part is meeting new people and greeting the regular customers who come in.
My name is Michael Holton, Jr. I graduated from South Effingham High School in 2013. I completed Project Search, which is a school-to-work program, in 2014. My first job was at our local hospital where I worked for 7 years in laundry. I've now in my second year of working at South Effingham Elementary School. I work in the Technology classroom as Instructional Support. This is the same elementary school that I attended and I get to work with my former kindergarten teacher, Kellie Lee, who is now the Technology teacher. Besides working in the Technology classroom, I help greet the car riders in the mornings, I take up attendance records, I help out in the library sometimes and I've even been given the opportunity in a fifth-grade classroom to present a powerpoint lesson. As far as we know, I'm the first staff member with Down syndrome to work directly with students in a classroom in the state of Georgia. I absolutely love my job!
I decided to start my own pet-sitting/walking business. My business is called “Kelly’s Kritters.” I started it to earn money while I go to school. I LOVE animals, so this is a great job for me. I actually have had to turn down work because I have so many animals to take care of now.! I make over $15 an hour and will probably hire another walker to help soon. Right now my mom is helping when I am busy. I love it! It is fun and it keeps me in shape!
My name is Sami and I am a guest services ambassador for the Chicago Cubs. I get people in Gallagher Way and help people feel welcome. I also get to get people during concerts too! I love what I do!
Jose has worked at Brewability for a little over 4 years now. Brewability is a pizza and brewery that hires folks of all abilities. It is a super fun place that gives him and his coworkers a place to shine. You can find Jose working in the kitchen or joining one of the local bands to sing or dance. He loves to entertain and loves his job.
As a Senior in high school, I went with my teacher to a local restaurant and asked for a job. I started my first job at a restaurant in my town. I work two days a week for 2 hours each day. I love working there and am learning so much. I even get tips. My boss likes me working there. She is proud of all I do. Everyone is so nice and helps me. I like that I get the opportunity like my friends to work. I am proud of myself.
After my junior year of high school, I was looking for a summer job. A friend of mine worked at The Home Depot and got me an interview. I worked there for 30 hours per week that summer as a Front-End Associate and continued to work through my senior year of high school and into the next summer. I still work there part-time while I attend Chattanooga State Community College's Tiger Access program. I work with a great team at The Home Depot, and I have a 401k plan and a stock option plan.
After many unpaid internships and volunteer jobs, Matt was hired by Home Depot as an associate in the garden department. Having a job has done so much more than providing supplemental income. It increased his confidence and self-esteem. It also has demonstrated to the other employees what a person with Down syndrome can do when given an opportunity. On a recent visit to pick up a paycheck with Mom, Matt was greeted by several employees who said they hoped to see him at work soon.
I’m no stranger to making change, advocating, and leading. I made history in 2018 when I became the first town crier with Down syndrome in Canada.
During the first year of the pandemic, I became president of the Mount Saint Vincent University Student Union. I am now a Director for five organizations focused on disabilities.
On February 11, 2023, I launched my business, Planet*21, a pop-up theater and event planning business that puts social change and Down syndrome at the heart of its business. My business model includes hiring volunteers with Down syndrome and giving them work experience in my events. We even won the 2024 CANADIAN CHOICE AWARD for Entertainment & Event Planning in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
We offer customized event planning for celebrations and offer live theater, movies, and stage productions. I also offer interview services, similar to the View, and public speaking services that focus on Down syndrome, advocacy, and awareness.
With the support of my peers, TEAM Work Cooperative, Nova Scotia Works, and the Halifax Nova Scotia Down Syndrome Society, I feel unstoppable.
I see this as an opportunity to provide real-life work skills and create awareness for the potential in the Down syndrome community.