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After 32 Years Of Service In A McDonald’s This Man With Down’s Syndrome Is Finally Retiring
Due to lack of accessibility and sometimes even discrimination, disabled people have a hard time finding paid jobs. However, many of those who manage to seize the opportunity, prove to anyone who thinks that disabled people can’t hold jobs, wrong. Take for instance probably one of the most lovable Northmead McDonald’s employee Russell O’Grady.
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Russell, who is now 50 years old, is retiring after spending 32 years working at McDonald’s and set an example to everybody who has worked there with him.
Russell has Down syndrome, a genetic condition that affects about 1 in every 700 newborns in the US each year. In 1984, when he was just 18 years old, Jobsupport helped him find a job at Northmead McDonald’s. Jobsupport is an Australian government initiative that helps people with intellectual disabilities to find paid employment.
Despite not having any job experience, Russell impressed everyone with his job ethics and became a beloved employee to his manager, colleagues and especially customers. Over the years Russell became a local celebrity, with many people coming to visit him at work and greeting him on the street.
Jobsupport assistant manager Kate O’Grady told Daily Mail Australia “He’s an incredibly social person and can hardly walk down the street without people stopping to chat with him or buy him a beer at the club.” At work, Russell greeted everyone with a kind smile, cheerful attitude and showed exceptional dedication to his work.
His supervisor told The Daily Telegraph “We’ve got regular customers who come in to see Russell on Thursday and Friday, and the staff look after him, so we’re going to miss him.”
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What do you think ?
Carol Emory 5 years ago
I once saw a man with downs syndrome on the bus practicing a speech for a conference later that day. I asked him if he wanted to practice his speech on me. He was very excited that someone wanted to help. I waited on the bus patiently..even going past my stop to give him my full attention. So he did his speech for me, even handing me the pages in case I didn't understand what he was saying. I applauded him for a job well done. The only tip I gave him was to see if they had an overhead and the ability to transfer his speech to a clear film so he could display it while it read it. I wrote down the request for him to give to the organizers in case they didn't understand what he was asking. When he got off the bus, he waved with a big smile on his face. The bus driver saw what happened and was near the end of his route. He told me I could stay on for the ride back to my stop, no extra charge.
Linouchka 99 5 years ago
You are kind of an everyday superhero, you know ? :-) I love your stories, I wish I was a better person...
Load More Replies...
Natasha Forchione 5 years ago
I hope he got a good retirement package for working all those years!!!
Carol Emory 5 years ago
I once saw a man with downs syndrome on the bus practicing a speech for a conference later that day. I asked him if he wanted to practice his speech on me. He was very excited that someone wanted to help. I waited on the bus patiently..even going past my stop to give him my full attention. So he did his speech for me, even handing me the pages in case I didn't understand what he was saying. I applauded him for a job well done. The only tip I gave him was to see if they had an overhead and the ability to transfer his speech to a clear film so he could display it while it read it. I wrote down the request for him to give to the organizers in case they didn't understand what he was asking. When he got off the bus, he waved with a big smile on his face. The bus driver saw what happened and was near the end of his route. He told me I could stay on for the ride back to my stop, no extra charge.
Linouchka 99 5 years ago
You are kind of an everyday superhero, you know ? :-) I love your stories, I wish I was a better person...
Load More Replies... Natasha Forchione 5 years ago
I hope he got a good retirement package for working all those years!!!
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