Special Stories- Teen with Down syndrome and job coach share special moment
Special Stories- Teen with Down syndrome and job coach share special moment
A seventeen-year-old high school senior with a winning smile and short brown hair that throws off reddish glints, Donald (not his real name) has Down syndrome. He is a young man of few words and, like most guys, keeps his feelings to himself.
Raised by a single mother struggling to put food on the table and keep the electricity on, Donald wanted to get a job to help his mom pay the bills. Though he preferred to come home from school and plop himself on his sofa and watch such nostalgic reruns as Happy Days, The Andy Griffith Show, and Sanford and Son, Donald loved his mother more than anything in the world and would do anything for her—including trading in his after school comfy couch-sitting, junk food munching, and TV-watching for a job.
After helping Donald secure his first job stocking shelves in a local food market, I worked with him on the basics of what it meant to be employed. Simply put, Donald was not used to working. He was not aware of such concepts as dress code, personal grooming, punctuality, professional behavior in the workplace, stamina, pacing, goal setting, peer interaction, clocking in and out, time management, preparation to leave, gaining self-respect from work, and the notion of money earned … and saved. During our time spent together, it would be part of my job to teach him.
Over the weeks, I saw tremendous growth in Donald not only as a worker within his employer’s system, but more importantly, as a young man gaining empowerment and maturity.
A month after he began his job, I picked up Donald at his house, prepared to drive him to work. When I arrived, as usual he was dressed in his uniform, sitting on his front porch. However, on this particular day, I noticed a giant smile beaming from Donald’s face that I had never seen before.
He was glowing.
When he entered the car, we exchanged pleasantries and then I questioned him about his smile.
He was mum.
I asked Donald if he’d met a girlfriend over the weekend and he swiftly stated, “No way, Mike!” then glanced out his window, still grinning. I then asked Donald if he won the lottery over the weekend and forgot to call to let me know.
He barked out a laugh. “Noooooo, Mike!”
I figured, like many guys, Donald didn’t want to share his feelings. I pulled back and let the ride to work be yet another quiet one.
During our silent ride, I couldn’t help but notice out of the corner of my eye that Donald continued to have that smile plastered on his face as he gazed out the window the entire drive. I figured he was enjoying the sight of immeasurable acres of green, glistening grass surrounding us on this glorious spring day, a day when one would be more disposed to musing and daydreaming than to action.
Moments after we pulled into the parking lot at Donald’s work, I made my move to exit the car. Before I did, I felt Donald sidle up to me and place his beefy hand on my shoulder. I turned to him. He looked me straight in the eye and triumphantly exclaimed, “I’m doin’ good in this world, Mike. I’m doin’ good!” He reached out and gave me a long and heartfelt hug, smushing his head into mine.
And he didn’t let go.
Fighting back a sudden surge of emotions, I slipped my arm around him, squeezed him tight, and replied, “You’re doin’ great in this world, Donald, you’re doin’ great!”
In my former career in public relations, I earned much more money than I do these days working with kids with disabilities. However, I’ve never been “paid” more than I was in that moment with Donald.
Not. Even. Close.
To learn about the book “Special Stories: Short Stories On Youth With Disabilities And My Adventures Working In The Disabilities Field” by Mike Kelly (Vendue Books) visit https://www.specialstoriesbook.com.
