This is Lloyd.
“Break Thru believes that the employment of people with disadvantages is not an act of charity, it is good business sense.”
That’s it. That’s what many seem to be missing. When you think about companies employing people with disabilities or impairments, some put it in the ‘too hard’ basket and move on. But that’s not good for the company and it’s certainly not good for the person.
That’s the basic message of Break Thru, a work placement company that specialises in helping those who need an extra helping hand find the work that suits them best. But don’t just take it from them.
Ask Marianne Bess, the Managing Director of creative agency Droga5 who hired Lloyd.
They want more creative companies to do the same through the Creative Spirit initiative. Check it out.
Lloyd has Downs Syndrome and he’s always struggled to find a place to fit in. As his mum says, he needed to feel needed outside of the home. He knew his family loved him, loved to hear from him and valued him. But would anyone else?
Droga5 did.
Many of us in Australia – particularly the Prime Minister – talk about the dignity of work. And it’s not lip service.
But who out there is helping workers who want to work gain that self-worth?
We talk to Marianne Bess tonight and watch an inspiring short film about Lloyd’s office. It’ll bring a tear to the eye.
[That film was directed by Matt Long from Goodoil Films]
Here’s the full show (the chat about Break Thru and Lloyd starts at 13:40):
And here’s the full documentary clip:
The Spirit Behind Creative Spirit from Droga5 Sydney on Vimeo.
Comments
34 Comments so far
So when will Mamamia begin recruiting from Break Thru? Now that would be awesome!
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I just love the happiness project.. I recognised the face in the clip about 365 project – it’s my drama teacher, Amy Gill. She is one of the people who inspired me to write.
Just read her guest post and she is just awesome.
What a great episode.. the part on Lloyd made me so happy. My last workplace had a intellectually disabled guy who helped out around the office, it was fantastic and he was always so warm and lovely.
Great stuff.
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What a beautiful and inspiring story. I admire everyone involved and continue to be amazed by the human spirit. Lloyd is divine.
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So impressed i called them and we are going to give it a go – it might not work but at least we will be able to report back if it does
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wow. i finally got round to watching the video. lloyd really is awesome and so is his mum. i hope this video is able to spread the word. i think lloyd would give so much to the people he works with, not to mention all the benefits to lloyd and his family.
keep up those sponsored posts on mamamia so you get big enough to open a similar position in your office mia!
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I work in a Special School, and loved this SO much.
I didn’t think it would make me cry, as I know how capable and wonderful people with a range of disabilities can be-but that Christmas card had me bawling.
People always tell me how tough my job must be, and yes, it can be challenging, and heartbreaking, and at times LOUD-but I wouldn’t change it for a billion dollars. The kids I work with are funny, strong, inspiring people, who try so hard, all day everyday. I am so proud of them, they make m heart sing.
Give these kids and adults a chance!
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How beautiful! This really did bring a tear to my eye. I hope Break Thru really can break through into the workplace and decrease the stigma that surrounds people with disabilities. Amazing. This has helped to restore my faith in humanity and give me hope…
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Hi Sibs, we can proudly say we are having success ‘breaking thru barriers, creating futures’
This is due to our wonderful employees and fantastic employers! Just a note; Break Thru provide specialist Employment, Training & Community services to diverse group including Indigenous Australians, people
From Culturally & Linguisticaly Diverse background, the mature aged, parents returning to work, and unemployed youth.
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Wow, this made me cry, and it gives me a sense of hope for my beautiful nephew!
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Generally the assumption is that the company is providing a wonderful service for people with disabilities, and that is true; but what most of us don’t realise is how much that person adds to the spirit and the soul of the organisation and its staff.
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Wow,my son has DS he is 16 months old and I love reading stories and watching videos on this….Its awesome………
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Have you ever seen the blog http://www.kellehampton.com? It is one of the best blogs I’ve ever seen, one of her daughters has DS and it makes me cry, laugh and just feel inspired
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Is the full episode up? I can’t get the video above to play on my phone – will try on laptop later. Looks good.
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I work for a company similar to Droga5 and agree wholeheartedly that this initiative is a perfect fit with people who think creatively and see things a little bit differently. I know that’s not exclusive to the creative sector but personally I can see how it could – and does – really work.
I loved this article and the short film, which I watched on Friday. The bit that has stayed with me was about opening the door for people with an intellectual disability to work, and to do it with dignity. It made me think more about my attitude to work and how much I take for granted, how my company could make room for someone like Lloyd, and how much I could learn from his positivity. Go Lloyd – you obviously really care about what you do and take great pride in your work. And you look like you’d be fun to work with!
I’ll be speaking to my bosses about this initiative on Monday, and I hope other Mama Mia readers do too – just put it out there, it’s a great thing to be part of!
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This is a great initiative but I am confused as to how this is funded. I’m a parent if a child with a disability and my big fear is that he’ll struggle finding work. As much as I hope initiatives such as this will be around when he is older unfortunately I can understand that the majority of businesses would not be able to support someone who is essentially doing things employees could do themselves
(making coffee). Having said that, my brother also has a disability and has been unemployed for over a decade. His sense of self worth is at an all time low and any work would be a boost.
Thanks to everyone who has ever given another person hope.
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LJS, employment services are funded by the federal governments Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations. Businesses that employ job seekers through Break Thru do it for various reasons including financially viability. We conduct a thorough assessment to ensure the job is sustainable long term. In Lloyds case, making coffee is just one part of many the tasks he is responsible for at Droga5. 2 years on, Lloyd is still seen as a valuable team member. All the best with your brother
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I loved this episode of Mamamia because of the panel, and the focus on Lloyd. What a terrific guy!
Marianne and her fellow workers at Droga5 are to be be commended for taking that extra oomph to be good people on a day to day basis. I’m not being sarcastic – I really do appreciate people who can just put themselves out of their comfort zone in the workplace to facilitate the inclusion of a person with a disability.
I have two adult children who live at home with my husband and me, who both work in a similar supported wage program in which Lloyd is involved.
Thank you for raising the awareness of the dignity of work for everyone. There are many disability employment services out there, however there are not so many businesses who would consider having a disabled person work
for them. As explained in your program there is a lot of support from the agencies, as well as some initial financial assistance.
I really do enjoy the program on Friday nights. Good way to finish the week!
PS: Lisa is the real deal.
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http://jobaccess.gov.au/Home/Home.aspx
Here is the Aust Govt website containing loads of information about employing people with disabilities. It is for job seekers, employers and the many employment services who deliver these programs across Australia. I have worked in the disability employment services sector for over 10 years and there are literally thousands of employers across Australia who work with specialist employment services to find the best person for the job. It makes good business sense and can really change the life of a person with disability……
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i know Lloyd personal it very nice young men and it was great to see him and call him and friend and mate
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What an inspirational story. Hopefully there are lots more companies employing amazing people like Lloyd. One person can really change a culture
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Wow, what an amazing initiative. Our 10 year old daughter had Down Syndrome and it is wonderful to see there are still such amazing adults out there willing to support these amazing human beings, who deserve the same opportunity as everyone else. We are in the process of showcasing the abilities of 9 children with intellectual disabilities through a musical performance. These children have now been invited to go all the way from the Gold Coast to Disneyworld Florida to perform, so fundraising here we come. Nothing warms the heart more than to see the innocence of their achievements. Thank you Droga5 for this fantastic program.
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*HAS* Down syndrome, NOT had!!, sorry she is still with us and no she won’t grow out of it !!!!
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Oh, that Christmas card made my start bawling!
Aside from that, I felt mixed reactions watching this. Initially watching Lloyd fixing the tea and cleaning up the kitchen etc, I felt I wanted more for him from his work than these sorts of tasks. Maybe I was judging work satisfaction based on my own scale?
Overall though – particularly post-cry – I was just left with the impression of how easy it can be to make a meaningful difference to the life of someone with such a disability; someone who can genuinely contribute to and aid productivity within a workplace while remaining satisfied with their niche in that organisation. I am left with the feeling of wanting to offer opportunities like this within my own workplace! It’s not a creative industry, but it is an environmental one, and I think progressiveness and acceptance and encouragement of diversity is something the two industries have in common. It is however also a governmental one, so not sure what hurdles might be there…
A genuine, and hopefully not offensive, question – what sorts of skill sets are key for someone with, say, down syndrome? Would things like record-keeping, library work and filing be an option? I really have no idea.
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My brother Charles had downs syndrome, so I can tell you a little about what he was able to achieve.
Each individual with downs varies a great deal. The skills that Lloyd had would have been higher than my brother as Charles couldn’t read, but was able to decipher symbols and signs(male, female signs on the loo, McDonalds-his favourite!). So making tea, and stacking the dishwasher was within Lloyds skill set. He looked incredibly happy to me!
However some people with downs are able to read really well, and could possibly do all those jobs you were saying. (Dont forget there are many people with all different disabilities so the person employed may come have any level of skills, abilities) These absolutely brilliant programs train people and do ongoing assessment in the workplace to check on the employee and monitor their achievement and happiness in the work place. Amazing!
I have to say, I cried a bit as Llloyd reminds me so much of Charles, I loved his singing – gorgeous and makes my heart sing. Charles loved country western so could belt out a hum dinger with his guitar!
What a life Charles led – Competed in Special Olympics, Traveled to Europe for Martial Arts, Busked at Tamworth for country western week every year, the list goes on. He also worked almost every day for over 25 years, hardly took a sick day. I wish i could say the same for my work attitude! We loved him so much, he only just died last Jan so we are all feeling a bit raw still….
PS If any of you are thinking of talking to your management this week about hiring someone like Lloyd- do it!
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Flickster, thank you so much for replying to me and explaining – this is probably terribly naive, but I didn’t really consider that Down Syndrome affected individuals so differently. I am definitely going to look into this or an initiative like it – people with a disability are part of society and should be made to feel so, not hidden on the fringes of everyone else’s life!
Thank you also for speaking about your brother; I’m terribly sad to hear of your family’s loss
But man, it sounds like Charles was a bit of a legend – that’s quite a lot under his belt, he must’ve been super talented with sports and music!!
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We’re very proud to promote the benefits of employing people with a disability. We’re equally proud to work with other disadvantaged Australians facing many challenging barriers. Special thanks to Droga5…what champions!!
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When I was a teenager I worked at Woolies, and they had a program that employed local down syndrome people. To this day I still remember their happy faces when they were working, their helpful nature and their self-importance at having that chance. I and the customers gained something from them too, as far as I’m concerned they were far better workers and employees than some of the ably-employed. I hope (but doubt) that this program is still in place, but it really should be
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I am sitting at my desk at work with tears streaming down my face! What an amazing program – presented beautifully in this film. Thanks for sharing MM and I hope some fulfilling jobs are found as a result.
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Lloyd is freakin awsome and so is his beautiful mother
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I have to say, this was my favourite Mamamia yet. Love the panel (though Sam was missed) and the sentiments behind the conversations really made me stop and think – hey, life is pretty bloody good.
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i was really confused by the title but this is brilliant. i always notice and applaud workplaces that employ people with disabilities.
i totally agree with the dignity of work.
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title changed! no confusion here
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It’s “Down syndrome”, not “Downs”.
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It can be either Down Syndrome or Down’s Syndrome (Down’s is primarily British).
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