GOOD JOB: IGA Bundamba store manager, Colin McGinn, lends a hand to James Hayward, who now works part-time every week at the store.
REDBANK’S James Hayward was not dealt the best cards to ensure he lived a life without any major
barriers to overcome.
Living with autism, Aspergers and being non-verbal has meant every day can present with it problems for him to overcome.
Despite his battles James is a young man determined to succeed and thanks to the help of his NDIS support team he is doing just that.
His goal when he graduated from high school was to one day get a job.
Now at 21 years of age he is a part-time store assistant at Bundamba IGA,
IGA Store Manager, Colin McGinn, said James started out just doing work experience at the store under the guidance of his NDIS coach, Elizabeth Copcutt. Elizabeth said she was proud of what James had been able to achieve and was grateful for Bundamba IGA’s support.
“They gave James the chance to do work experience and after he revealed his potential it turned into a parttime role. “I am so proud of James,” she said.
“This job has enabled him to be independent, a part of the community and has given him great self worth.”
Mr McGinn said James’ commitment to his work experience role revealed that he would be a great asset to his team.
“He has excellent work ethic, never stands still and is always looking for things to do,” he said.
“Its important to IGA to be part of the community and this is another example of how we are connecting.”
