What’s Gotta Stay

At my work, we have a daily tradition each morning of going together to get a drink at the convenience store.  None of us drink coffee, so call it our mid-morning break.  It may not be the healthiest thing to do, but we enjoy it and having a beverage for the morning is a nice thing.

The place we go is called Walker’s, and until recently it was a locally owned and operated outfit.  They recently sold to a larger yet still independent group, so it has retained a bit of the home town flavor.  We know most of the tellers by name and we chat with them on each visit.   The most interesting person we chat with was an employee named Norm.

I have no idea how old norm is, but I’d refer to him as an older feller.  I use feller because he was a good old boy look and sound that made him endearing.  Norm is also disabled mentally in some fashion, but he could carry on a simply conversation, always making it a point to greet every person that was in his vicinity.  We usually found him washing the counters around the drink fountains when we would arrive, happy at his work.

This week Norm died.  He didn’t show to work for two days in a row, so the police were called and he was found dead in his home.  For a guy I really didn’t know that well, I still feel that pit in my stomach of loss.  He will be missed by many I am sure, and we were disappointed as a group to hear of his passing.  I am sure there are many others that feel similar.  The store has a small memorial set up in their window with photos that show he must have worked for them for many years.

Seeing the photos reminded me how much I admire employers that hire someone with disabilities to do tasks within their abilities.  This convenience store didn’t really need Norm’s services.  He definitely contributed, but he was far slower and deliberate about what he did compared to a typically-abled individual.   In fact, I doubt they will need to hire any additional staff in his absence as his tasks will be taken care of by others.  The point is that by giving him a job, Norm had a purposeful way to contribute to society that allowed him independence and the ability to make a living.

I see other stores in the area that also have some regular disabled employees.  A couple of restaurants in this category I have frequented include Carl’s Jr. and the Apollo in Orem each have familiar faces.  These workers clean tables, floors, keep condiments stocked, take out food to tables, etc.  They work hard at their job, so they are not a drain on the company, though I expect they require some extra effort on the manager’s part to make the job work for them.  I know there are state subsidies to encourage these kind of disability hiring situations, but that doesn’t make it a free ride for the company either.

So for all those companies that make it possible for these disabled individuals to be employed, I applaud you.  I have left comment cards at such places voicing my thanks.  I have mentioned previously that I have a disabled son, so this is particularly personal for me.  He will never be of a level of abilities that he could work, but there are many out there that can.  I make it a point to bring my business to companies that employee disabled people as another way of saying thanks.

If you are in a decision making position to consider hiring someone with a disability, give it a real consideration.  Norm, you are missed.