Some said Sam’s cerebral palsy would prevent him from ever working, but he’s proven the cynics wrong, recently celebrating his two year anniversary at Moncrieff Entertainment Centre (Moncrieff).

Sam’s friendly and sociable personality is well-suited to his role, which has grown and developed with him over time.

“Sam is currently looking after our food partnerships program,” explains Moncrieff Coordinator Rod Ainsworth.

“Sam’s really excelled in this role and is enjoying it. I often speak to our neighbours who say they really love seeing Sam on his weekly visit.”

Rod has seen great improvements take place in Sam’s personal maturity and work ethic since he started.

“Sam very quickly became an important part of our team, and has proven himself to be a punctual, reliable young man,” said Rod.

“He’s really thriving since we’ve given him the additional responsibility of the food partnership program. That’s really Sam’s ‘baby’ and he has a great sense of ownership over that.”

We initially arranged work experience at Moncrieff so that Sam could get a foot in the door of the industry he loves. The strategy worked well, with Sam being offered paid employment shortly afterwards.

To ensure Sam was successful in his role, we facilitated workplace modifications of a height-adjustable desk and new flooring. The modifications were funded by both Job Access and us.

Rod wanted to share his business’ positive experience to encourage others to think more broadly when hiring for their next role.

“It’s no different than hiring anyone else; you employ someone if their abilities match the role. Sam is a great fit for our business, and the fact that he’s in a wheelchair doesn’t matter,” said Rod.

“Instead of using the word ‘disability’ we need to start looking at people’s abilities.”