“When José came to ask me for a job, 22 years ago, I didn’t know what kind of work to give him. My company was small, with no more than six employees. I was approached by a neighbour who told me about the difficulties that José’s family was going through, and asked if I would have work to take him in. Touched by the family’s struggles, I accepted, despite not knowing what tasks I could assign to a person with only one arm in a highly manual area. But then, José showed an extraordinary ability to adapt, quickly adjusting his tasks. As he adapted to the workplace, he managed to learn in three years what it usually takes six years train a graphic officer.”

“Pedro was different, he is much younger, he started his internship because the local organization insisted a lot for us to integrate him. We gave him the opportunity, and in return he gives us his example every day, reminding us that all difficulties and limitations can be overcome with solidarity and commitment.”

“During the first year, José learned and developed ways to overcome his limitations, adapting his interaction with the machinery through rubber bands, and improving his own skills. The only necessary adaptation was giving him time to learn the craft in his own way. And once he achieved that goal, he has been perfecting his skills to mastery.”

“José has a good relationship with his colleagues, and with me. These relationships reflect the bond that I strive to maintain with all the workers in my company – one of mutual help, collaboration, and familiarity, but also of demand, professionalism, and quality.”

“In our journey with Pedro, the support of the service provider has been fundamental, being always available within a phone call’s reach, establishing a relationship of great trust and honesty. This mediation is essential for me, for us employers. This guarantee is needed, that we will not be left ‘hanging’ if something goes wrong.”

“After all, and despite the difficulties along the way, after completing the initial internship, we signed a contract with Pedro, for Supported Employment in the Open Market. In this agreement, we pay him a salary like any other of our workers, but a percentage of this salary is financed by the state employment services. This percentage is assessed by an independent organisation – they evaluated his disability degree according to the workplace’s tasks, and the correspondence of Pedro’s effective abilities. This resulted in an evaluation of 50% disability, meaning the state will fund 50% of the salary.

“We value José for his stability and perfectionism. The graphic world is constantly innovating, and my internal policy is to promote versatility and constant renewal of skills for my entire team. I consider José irreplaceable. His perfectionism in the finishing he produces is considered exceptional. And he is unsurpassed in his own role, overcoming his disability, which in our eyes is non-existent. I sincerely hope he will continue his good work in the active years he has left, and that he will then retire, with merit.” 

“I would certainly do it again. And, to my fellow employers who are thinking about hiring people with disabilities, I recommend they should overcome their first impressions. There are many people with disabilities who are very competent, and it allows us to overcome economism, it makes us human. It is about getting to know people, knowing their problems, supporting them, putting ourselves in their shoes, and putting problems into perspective, keeping our feet on the ground. I expect in our company, as well as in any other company, regardless of the diversity of cases and abilities, an increase of the productivity of the team when including an element with a disability – and from a human point of view, it makes us all grow. For the future, I expect stability and continuity.”