Not surprisingly, Adam Schatz favorite thing about working is the paycheque. Adam loves music and saves his money to go to concerts. He has seen Rascal Flatz, Rihanna, Nickelback and Default (he even met the band after the concert). He is also saving up for an electric guitar and recently bought a flat screen TV and a Wii.

Adam working at Extra Foods

Adam is a friendly, social 26 year-old who enjoys working with people and helping customers. He has worked at Extra Foods in Aldergrove two days a week since March 31, 2010. Adam likes working at Extra Foods because it is close to home and he gets to work with friends. He sorts labels, stocks shelves, collects buggies and does the compactor.

Adam is never late; he always punches in on time. Throughout the years he has only taken one day off to speak at a self advocacy event. He is also a loyal, dedicated employee. He once saw someone stealing from the store and he told his boss, who then caught the thief.

“My boss always tells me I’m doing an awesome job,” Adam says with a smile. “He tells me, ‘good show, keep it up.’”

Adam also works at Home Hardware one day a week. He stocks paint, cleans the back room, and helps customers. He was originally hired to unload the truck but they gave him extra duties because he was a good worker.

Adam Graduated from Aldergrove High School, where he gained some work experience in a plant nursery. During high school he also did work experience at a grocery store, A&W and at the bottle depot. He did janitorial work at Flip City and also worked at Valley Therapeutic Equestrian.

Throughout all of these work experience positions Adam had a job coach to support him.

After high school Adam went to Partners in Employment (an employment service through the Langley Association for Community Living) to find a job. They asked him what kind of work he wanted to do. Together they created an employment plan that laid out his goals and what was needed to achieve them.

Adam working at Home Hardware

The Langley school district and Kwantlen College work closely with Partners in Employment to ensure a smooth transition between work experience, post secondary education and paid employment. With Adam’s consent, the school district referred his work experience records and Individual Education Plan (which showed his skills, interests and goals) to Partners in Employment to help support Adam to get a paid job.

When Adam first graduated high school, he wasn’t ready to settle down into a job. He was shy, didn’t like talking to people and always kept his head down. He rarely left home and spent a lot of time listening to music with his headphones on.

“I didn’t do too much when I was young,” says Adam. “I didn’t talk to friends, I didn’t go out. Now I work, go to concerts and comedy shows and I teach other self advocates.”

It wasn’t long before Adam was ready to work and his first paid job changed his life. Since Adam started working he recognizes people in the streets and they recognize him. Working helped build Adam’s confidence and opened up his personality.

His first paid job was at Otter Co-op, where he worked for three years, from 2007-2010.

To get the job he wrote a resume (with the help of Partners in Employment) and practiced his interview skills. When he was ready, he had a “meet and greet” with the hiring manager. His preparation paid off; they hired him on the spot.

An employment coach came with him to work for the first couple shifts but it didn’t take long before Adam was independent on the job and didn’t need a coach. A job coach from Partners in Employment checks in with Adam and his employer once a month to make sure everything is going well.

“I’m grateful for all the help I get from Partners in Employment,” Adam says. “They have been there for me through it all.”

Tami Logan is the Supervisor of Employment Services at Partners in Employment and has known Adam since he first came to them after high school. I asked Tami what helped make Adam’s employment story a successful one.

“It needs to be a good match,” she says. “A job should fit that person’s interests and skills. Sometimes it takes a while to find the right match. Adam needed to grow and mature before he found a job he loved.”

“Individualized support is important. Some need a little, others need a lot, but that support needs to be available.”

Adam doesn’t hesitate when asked if he has any advice for other self advocates looking for work: “if you do your best you can get a job doing what you want to do.”

“It’s helpful to have someone come to work with you at the beginning,” he says thoughtfully. “Sometimes it takes time to teach and support someone, showing them the proper ways to do things. That way, if there is an issue, you know someone is there to help.”

“I am proud of working. I do the best I can and I know it will work out for me in the long run.”