Rockin’ Recipient Colton Vasquez’s sweet mama saw our #RubyAndNellaGoToWork October Awareness Campaign last month, all about people with disabilities in the workforce, and got in touch to tell us a little about Colton’s experience on the job ????????
 
“Here are a few pictures of Colton in his different jobs. So he started working at 14yo. He had to get a special work permit from the Board of Education to work at such a young age. He started at a cafe a few blocks from his school. He would walk down twice a week and work with the barista. He held this job four years and only resigned because of leaving for college.
 
“He then got a union job working at a grocery store Giant Eagle. He kept his job at the cafe the whole time. So he worked 4 days a week at the store and worked one day a week at the cafe. Plus going to school. He paid union dues and was a full member. I included a photo of him bagging. Not his favorite job but he stayed one year, got a week’s paid vacation and then resigned.
 
“The grocery store wasn’t really what he wanted to do. He wants to work with kids. So he went to his former elementary school and got hired to work in their cafeteria. He worked there for two years and kept his cafe job. During the summer he worked at the schools ESY (Extended School Year). So the younger kids at the school got to see a kid who had qualified and participated in ESY come and work and serve as a role model for them.
 
“This summer Colton had the opportunity to work on the set of a commercial being filmed as a Production Assistant. So at 19yo he already qualifies for SSDI based on his own work history. The youngest person in Pennsylvania to do this.”
 
Um, this is AMAZING. Thank u for telling us about Colton and his incredible dreams and work ethic!! This is what it’s all about – and this is what I kept posting about last month – peeps with Down syndrome make excellent, hardworking employees!!! ????????❤️
 
 
#KeepOnRockinItColton #NoLimits #DownSyndromeRocks #NothingDownAboutIt #TheLuckyFew #RockinRecipientsRule