Woman with DS working in Tescos

[Prufrock]

I really don't want this to sound patronising, but I did want to share my experience this morning.
I went to Tescos with ds, and at the checkout noticed a young woman who was going along picking up the baskets and saying hello to each cashier - I only noticed her because she was so cheery. Then ds spills all his blueberries on the floor, and she comes rushing over to tell me not to worry, she will get a cleaner. It was only then that I realised she had DS. She got a cleaner - and more blueberries for me, and was amusing ds whilst I packed my bags.
Now I know that stacking baskets at Tesco's might not be the most stimulating job in the world, but I found it really nice that this woman was working, so obviously has some level of independence, and that she seemed to be really integrated into the store - her colleagues weren't treating her differently, and it didn't seem like customers were either.

[Easy]

Great story Prufrock. Our local B&Q used to have a young man helping in the garden dept who was DS. He was very cheerful, and very helpful pushing barrows about, car loading, trolley collecting, that sort of thing.

We went one day and he wasn't there. His supervisor said he'd had to leave because Head Office decided all staff had to be till trained, and he couldn't cope. The supervisor was working his notice, as he'd resigned over the issue.

[Fio2]

dont think it sounds patronising at all. My friend came round the other day and said a young lady with learning disabilities helped her pack her bag at sainsbury's and that she had thought of my daughter and how lovely that would be if my daughter ended up doing that. i thought how sweet. i think it is lovely and well deserved that adults with learning disabilities are not shut away anymore and can, if capable, find employment of which they are capable of. it gives me hope.

My daughter goes to a school for children with severe and complex learning disabilities. they go from age 4-19, then age 16 onwards they learn vocational courses at the nearby college. You do not know how much hope that gives me

[Fio2]

easy thats disgusting. Surely that goes against the disability rights commission rules

[nailpolish]

omg easy, so the supervisor had got into a situation he was resigning over the employee having to leave? he must have stood up for him, god bless him, hope they both got something else

[happymerryberries]

Easy, how crap and shortsighted of B&Q and how decent of the supervisor.

Why can't we, as a society, value peoples strengths?

[wild]

Yes, was helped by a friendly man like this at Tesco's too, it was a while ago. I am getting mixed up with abbreviations but what does DS stand for in this context?

[bundle]

Down Syndrome

[wild]

OK sorry stupid of me
The man who helped us was not DS then, but had some kind of learning disability I guess
Anyway it was nice to find someone with time to be friendly, and he was obviously enjoying rather than enduring his work

[aloha]

My friend's nephew with DS works in a supermarket and absolutely loves it. He also has a girlfriend and a hectic social life.

[Davros]

There's a young man with learning disabiliies working at our local Morrisons. He fits in fine and the customers and staff seem more than comfortable with him.

[ThomCat]

I don't think it's patronising and I think it's great and your post was lovley. People with DS can and do live very fulfilled lives. In some cases people with DS pass GCSE's, many have jobs, relationships, live semi-independently and so on.

The mainstream school my DD will go to has a member of staff who has DS. She helps the teachers giving out paper and pens and general stuff like that.

My local Sainsburys has 3 staff who have obviuos learning difficulties of some description and perhaps more that have needs that aren't so obvious.

I just wish more people realised that people with DS can and do live rich, fulfilled lives. Perhaps there would be more people in the world with DS if they realised this.

[NomDePlume]

[heartinthecountry]

There is a lady who is deaf and I would say has some degree of learning difficulty who works on the checkout in the Tesco Metro near work (very busy). I find it quite interesting watching people's reaction to her. She is a bit slower than some (not all) of the other cashiers. Quite a few people seem quite impatient. Have to admit ashamedly that BDD (Before dd) I was probably one of them.

Now, I notice that she is a bit slower because she takes real care over her job. She packs people's bags for them so carefully and properly. So yes it does take a bit longer but she is actually giving a better service. Just shows what so many of us value...

Wish that I had always noticed the person and not just been concerned about losing 2 minutes off my lunch break .

[nailpolish]

i work with a nurse who is deaf. she is such a brilliant lip reader you would never guess

[suedonim]

The Sainsbury's here has employed people with various learning difficulties ever since we moved to the area, 8yrs ago. When my neighbour, D, took my dd shopping there (because I'd had to rush off to my dying dad's bedside) one girl more-or-less accused her of kidnapping my dd, which we thought was so sweet. She said to D "That's not your baby! I know that baby, she comes in with her mummy every week and you're not her mummy!!" M&S also employs a boy with DS on their tills in the food section.

[wobblyknicks]

Our local Asda has several staff with different disabilities and there's one bloke with ds who's especially lovely, always packs your bags for you (even if you tell him not to bother), chats to you and is noticeably slower than some of the other cashiers but IMO thats a godsend when you're trying to get everything onto the checkout, then get the trolley to the other end and start packing it, while finding your purse and stopping dd emptying your handbag onto the floor!!! And at least you leave with only normal stress levels instead of still trying to pack the trolley while the next persons shopping is whizzing at you!!

[Fimbo]

Our local Waitrose employs a lad with special needs - he collects in the trolleys. He seems very proud of his job and himself. I overheard him telling a checkout operator, that he had been off and they had Saturday kids covering his job, and they couldn't do the job the way he did and there were trolleys left all over the place, and that was with 2 of them doing it.

[misdee]

Used to work at safeway and we had three young men working there, one with DS and two with learning disabilities. They did their job well, and i trained one of the lads in the coffee shop. He is still there (i left 3years ago) and doing a good job.

[tiredemma]

the college i go to has a group of both DS students and some with learning disabilities, i dont know what course they are doing but i know that they have a couple of days each term where they go into a work place, where i assume they may be employed afterwards. they work very hard and are extremley well respected within the college community.

from this post it would appear sainsburys are leading the way- good for them.
boo hiss to B&Q

[misdee]

I know the store i worked in had links with a disabilities group and emplyed the lads through them.

[Merlot]

My SIL who has a learning disability works at Queen$ College school in Somerset. She helps in the kitchens preparing vegetables and also with serving the boys their meals.

She is now 42 and has worked there since she was 16 - it is not a well paid job, but they do seem to take care of her . She now lives alone, independently, but up until 13 years ago she lived on site in a bungalow with other employees who also had learning disabilities. I dont know whether there are other public schools with similar employment policies?

[Blu]

If you ever get a chance, check out Mind the Gap Theatre Company. At least half the members have DS: they represent the company at conferences, have made a training DVD for other companies and venues on how to make public places accessible to people with learning disabilities - and they put on really good shows, too.

[mogwai]

my garden was landscaped by a group of mainly DS young men who were learning gardening skills at a local college. They charged us, of course, but they used the garden as a practice run before setting up a business, under supervision from their tutor. It was 6 years ago, but I believe their business is still going