Workin' Man

We didn't really know if our son Stephen (Stevie) would ever have a job. Though we did have that hope, because shortly after he was born we attended some Down Syndrome support group meetings in my area and heard testimonies and saw films of the achievements of Down syndrome adults. We started Stephen at a rehab center for mental disabilities when he was just 6mo old at the request of his doctor. I went with him for the first year there, learning the excersizes and diligently following through at home. In public school I opted to keep him in the special ed classes up through high school, though it was frowned upon by some of the other members of the support group who promoted integration and were trying to eliminate special education classes. I knew the extra challenges work good for many mentally handicapped, but I did not think it would work for his personality and disposition, and he thrived there, also making friends with the "normal" students. Stephen now has the temperament of a 5yr old, but some of his ability levels are close to 7yrs. He got to stay in school until he reached 21. A job coach assigned to his class assessed him for learning different types of jobs during his last year. Such as volunteering at the public library 1 hr a week and helping in the school cafeteria. After graduation I got him on a waiting list for a job coach to find a regular job according to his ability. He had a couple of working interviews before the coach found one that I would agree he could deal with. Sweeping popcorn at the cinema. I was unsure that he could do the hardest part of the job which was to follow a team of co-workers into each individual room after the movie was done and the people cleared out, and VERY QUICKLY get down on knees to hand sweep popcorn, etc, from under the seats. There are lots of short breaks between movies to rest, and sometimes he just hands out 3D glasses or helps the ticket taker. It took a few nights before we decided that it wasn't too much for him since he would start with only 2hrs a night, only 2 days a week. He didn't dislike it too much (got more used to it later) and he got to know his co-workers who help keep an eye on what he is supposed to be doing, along with his boss of course. He loves getting a pay check and now at age 24 he tells his friends "I a workin' man". a book
a nice story