Employment Copy

My job is taking pictures. I get a small house. I also work at Publix [a grocery store]. It is really fun. I keep my money in the bank. I want to go to college and live in a new house by myself. My friends will come to my new house.

—Andy Meredith​, 19-year-old with Down syndrome

People with genetic conditions such as Down syndrome also work in different careers such as medical assistants, teaching assistants, actors, artists, photographers, musicians, public speakers, and advocates. They have many different options depending on their skills and talents. They can also get help from employment programs and agencies. For example, a person with a disability might have a job coach to learn how to do a job.

Andy (quoted above) is also a very skilled photographer who will probably work part time with his dad and also part time at the grocery store or a gym. Joe Steffy, a young man with autism and Down syndrome, owns a popcorn business, and Megan in the video below works as a teacher’s aide. While employment is still an area that needs much more improvement in the US, setting employment expectations early in life can help improve outcomes.

 A recent study found that more than half of adults with Down syndrome were working at a paying job, about one-quarter were working at a volunteer job, and some were self-employed. (Kumin 2016)

References

Kumin, L., Schoenbrodt, L. (2016). Employment in adults with Down syndrome in the United States: Results from a national survey. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 29:330-345.