A recipe of success

Jim was born with an intellectual disability. He is now 22 years old and his mum, Susan, is still unsure what actually caused his disability.  What Susan does know is that Jim can't read or write. And that she was told that he would never be able to grasp the concepts of literacy or numeracy - ever.

His father passed away when Jim was just 3 years old but Susan says he has inherited his "life of the party" presence from his dad. Jim has an amazing ability to make people smile and has an insatiable appetite to please and serve people. Jim expressed a special interest in food and hospitality and keen to encourage this interest Jim was then enrolled to do a special hospitality course.

"I really wanted Jim to have the possibility of a career in his life and as single mum I needed to focus on my own career too", says Susan.

Fortunately Jim and his family were introduced to House With No Steps (HWNS) Transition To Work program. This program is designed for school leavers with a disability who require extra support prior to moving to employment or training. Each participant has an individual plan developed and where appropriate, work experience is offered in some of our very own business services.

Jim was given the opportunity to experience working in a variety of settings. Not surprisingly, it was when he did work experience at HWNS Uppercrust Café that he showed real potential and Jim was offered supported employment as a Kitchen Assistant. "Jim is a really social person so his favourite job is serving the customers. Most people always remark at how being served by Jimmy is the highlight of their day", says Chef Bruno.

Jim is currently in training to use the cash register and help with food preparation. "I love helping with sandwiches because they're good to cut", shouts Jim, his voice raising the more excited he gets. "Doing the till is hard but I want to learn". Although Jim does struggle with the arithmetic he has vastly improved at using the cash register. He now remembers to rely on the buttons and let the register do the sums for him.  "A lot of the worries and concerns of having a child with a disability have diminished due to the security provided by House With No Steps", says Susan.

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