Pittsburgh-area man with Down syndrome achieving goals and finding purpose while working at Giant Eagle
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Three days per week, you'll find Tommy Amnart at the Giant Eagle in McIntyre Square, greeting customers and bagging groceries.
Tommy has Down syndrome and is mostly non-verbal.
"He speaks to me," said Tommy's sister, Susan Henderson. "I'm like, the only one who understands him."
Susan says while you may not hear much from him, he's very expressive.
"Customers adore him," Susan said. "They love working with him. He puts a smile on their face."
At the age of 30, this is Tommy's first job, and he's had it for the last six months.
Katie Hendershot is the Community Integration Specialist with Wesley Family Services and has worked with Tommy since January.
"Within minutes, Tommy had my heart," Katie said. "Absolutely 100%. "Communication is a big barrier at times, but that's where we can step in and be the middle man."
Challenges are expected, but for Tommy, there's more joy.
"He thrives with routine and social engagement," Susan said.
Susan and Katie say that companies have come a long way with hiring people of any and all disabilities, but more work needs to be done to connect the two.
"That's actually one of the most difficult things about our jobs is to bridge that gap," Katie said.
Right now, Tommy lives with Susan, her husband, and her three kids. She says that one day the hope is for him to live in a group home and achieve all of his goals and dreams, just like anyone else.
"He deserves to have a meaningful, productive life in our community."
Tommy has big goals and right now, he's working three days per week but already wants to become a full-time worker at Giant Eagle because he loves it so much.
His sister wants him to take it slow but believes that one day Tommy will do it.