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!
Brad Hennefer is proud to share that he has been employed for over at Wegmans in Cherry Hill, NJ. In 2017, Wegmans was ranked as #2 on the “FORTUNE 100 Best Companies to Work For” and they have been on the list for 20 consecutive years. Brad works in the produce department, right in the front of the store, so he’s very visible to all of their customers. In 2013, both Brad and representatives from Wegmans were speakers at the United Nations for the World Down Syndrome Day “Right to Work” conference in New York City. Wegmans is a fantastic employer!
Brad is also a very active self-advocate. In 2008, he became the first person with Down syndrome to play two varsity sports in high school. He played on both the Cherry Hill High School East basketball and golf teams all four years, earning four varsity letters in golf and one in basketball. He’s been featured in the national media due to his athletic accomplishments and self-advocacy. In 2016, both ESPN and Fox Sports produced segments profiling Brad and his friendship with J.R. Smith of the Cleveland Cavaliers to help raise awareness about Down syndrome and to spread the message that individuals with disABILITIES shouldn’t be judged based on their appearance.
Brad has been very active with advocacy and public speaking through his Brad Hennefer Golf for Life Foundation. He has presented keynote speeches and workshops at conferences, hospitals, universities, Buddy Walks and other community events where he shares his journey with Down syndrome. You can also read about him in “Chicken Soup for the Soul Inside Basketball” and “Gifts 2.”
Brad loves working at Wegmans, being a self-advocate, and working with his foundation but something was still missing. His true passion has always centered around physical fitness and athletics, so we needed to find a way to channel that passion into something empowering that he could do for the rest of his life. It was important that it be something that still allowed the time freedom for his other endeavors and something he could do from home without transportation challenges.
In 2016, Brad became an entrepreneur! He’s the first “Ambassador” for Plexus Worldwide who has Down syndrome. Plexus is a health and wellness company that utilizes network marketing to share their products. Through social media and other marketing, Brad shares his own personal success with the Plexus products as well as the business opportunity. He hopes to empower other families to creatively tackle the challenges related to staying physically fit and healthy, but to also build a residual income. Brad now has the best of both worlds including traditional employment that he loves at Wegmans, combined with a home-based network marketing business. You can easily follow Brad on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter by searching on #EntrepreneurDownSyndrome
Having Down syndrome has never stopped me from pursing my passion of using food and fire to bring people together. I like to think I’ve been spicing up life for my family and friends since birth and it’s time to spread the love.
The life-changing experiences of going to college at Western Carolina University and training at the award-winning Haywood Smokehouse have inspired me to launch Matthew’s Bonfire BBQ. When you taste the sauce I hope you feel love, warmth and comfort-just like being around a bonfire.
Matthew has a burning passion about disability awareness and expanding opportunities for all. Learn more about Matthew and his mission at BonfireBBQ.com or follow him on Facebook and Instagram @matthewsbonfirebbq!
I have been working hard building birdhouses to collect money for local non-profits. I started my business after my former job closed down due to coronavirus. I knew I wanted to keep working hard and helping out my community. So far, within the first 3 months, I have raised over 3,000 dollars for local nonprofits that support individuals with special needs. This month I am donating 1,500 dollars to my local chapter of the Down syndrome Society, The North Carolina Down syndrome Alliance. I want to keep working hard and helping others
Hi, my name is Ethan. I am 17 years old and I live in Florida. I am interested in sports, music, dancing and of course modeling! I swim for my high school swim team and for Special Olympics. I paddle board for Special Olympics too. I got my first job doing a print ad for a local floral shop. I am on Surf Style’s website and also in their store’s light box campaign, www.surfstyle.com/blog-20bc36/. I was Surf Style’s first model with Down syndrome. Here’s my website if you have modeling and acting opportunities for me, www.hireethan.org!
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!
Tyler is 32 years old & from the Grand Rapids area in Michigan. Most of Tyler’s adult life, he has volunteered at various businesses in the area. He considers this his job and looks forward to it every day. In Fall of 2020, Tyler’s sister spoke with Tim Sobie at Sobie Meats in Walker, Michigan and asked if they had any odd jobs that Tyler could do. Tim immediately hired Tyler to do dishes and sanitize baskets. Tim and his wife, Teresa, both were eager to have Tyler join their team. Their entire staff has been welcoming and so helpful to Tyler. He looks forward to going to work at Sobie’s every Friday!
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.
Grace Key is the co-founder, brand designer and spokesperson for Candidly Kind. She’s a 20 year old high school senior who has used writing, drawing and painting throughout her life to express her feelings. Grace instinctively creates happy images, notes, letters and messages of inspiration for friends and family and now she wants to share them with the world.
Spreading a message of light and love, her first design is a theme Grace herself has truly embodied since birth. No matter the situation Grace always shines brightly. She believes if everyone shines their light no one will ever have to live in darkness.
Grace aims to promote kindness and a belief in oneself no matter what the obstacles. She hopes her creations will remind you to live with authenticity, act with love and treat everyone you meet with an open heart.
Visit https://www.candidlykind.com today to shop Grace’s designs!
A Fayetteville family has embraced their daughter’s disability and the result is Kristina’s Grinds and Grace, a mobile coffee cart. Kechia and Derrick Kinsey laid the foundation for the business and their son Derrick designed the logo. Aunt Tracee Kinsey oversees merchandising. The entire family is working together to create an opportunity for the star of the enterprise, Kristina, to shine. Kristina is a 2020 graduate of South View high school with a grand smile and a sweet disposition. Kristina also has Down Syndrome. Kechia has always encouraged and advocated for her daughter and now she is making plans to expand their business and provide employment opportunities for other people with special needs. Kristina’s coffee oasis offers coffee, pastries, and a moment of respite from a hectic day. Kristina serves her patrons with a joyful attitude and a twinkle in her eye. Kristina and Brianna Scott, her Disability Employment Specialist, serve coffee on Monday through Friday from 3:00pm – 5:00pm and Saturday from10:00 am until 12:00 at 817 Elm Street. Their mission statement is “Wherever you are planted, bloom with grace”. The next time you need to add some caffeine and a heavy dose of sweetness to your afternoon, stop by and see Kristina in full bloom
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.
Hi, everyone! I am so happy to tell you about working. Please follow me @tristathebartista. I have 30,000 followers and I love to make all of them smile and be happy. I make my followers smile AND I show them what all of us with Down syndrome can do. We can work. We can dance hip hop. We can be a good friend. We can have boyfriends. We can be amazing baristas. We can be funny. We can workout at Crossfit. We can be preschool teacher assistants. I show all of that on my Instagram and people are learning a lot and smiling and being happy.
I love to work. I just love it so much. I had my first job when I was 16. My mom and dad helped me make a binder with letters of recommendation from my coaches, teachers and places I volunteer at and I went to the interview with my binder. It helped me tell them what I could do and I got the job at Palmetto Grande Regal Cinemas. I loved it. I got paid and I got free movie passes.
I also got a job at On the Border. It was so much fun and I hung out with the other people who worked there. I also had a job at Harris Teeter. I loved that, too. I had three jobs at one time. My Mom said it was too much and I could only have two jobs. I had those jobs for three years.
I wanted to do something else and my sweet friend Sandy saw I was good with children. Sandy talked to the people at East Cooper Christian Pre-school and they hired me as a teacher assistant. I worked there from 2012-2017. It was awesome. I play with the children and I taught some lessons and I did crafts with them. In 2015, Robin the director of child education at my church asked me to work at BLAST a preschool at my church, too. I worked at both pre-schools. I loved it so much and I love the kids so much.
In 2017, A friend told me about a coffee shop coming to town called Bitty and Beaus and I got excited about being a barista and making coffee and working a cash register. I sent a video interview to Amy Wright the owner and I was the first barista hired at the new Charleston Bitty and Beaus. My mom said I had to give up working at one pre-school. That was hard to do, but I knew being a barista was going to take a lot of my time. So now I work at one pre-school and at Bitty and Beaus. I write happy messages on little cards and give one to every customer. They like it and they keep them in their wallet. I just love working and I love to make my own money. I LOVE my co-workers and hanging out with them after work
My name is Danny Leonard and I am 18 years old. I just graduated from Milford High School. I have been going outside from my school to explore and experience different work sites for job training. I applied and interviewed for the Guest Relations Assistant position at the Detroit Zoo. The interview experience was challenging and a fun experience and I got the job! I am looking forward to bringing a lot of enthusiasm to my first job. I have visited the Detroit Zoo since I was a baby and it has always been a delightful pleasure for me