He Belongs Here Now

Out of solidarity, a small parts-supply company where nine people work hired a young man with behavioral difficulties five years ago. The owner tells the story. We took on Nicola partly to help his uncle. Nicola was an orphan. He drifted through the streets, came home when he felt like it, and his elderly uncle was terrified he'd end up begging. The uncle had tried hard to find a place that would take Nicola—a boy with mild intellectual disability and behavioral problems—but had struck out everywhere. When he approached us asking whether we'd hire Nicola as an apprentice, we weren't enthusiastic. We didn't think we needed the help, and we didn't have the resources anyway. In the end, we decided to give it a try. We put him to work as a shipping assistant and insured him with a special policy. The beginning was rough. Nicola had no sense of time. We'd wait for hours. When we called, he'd say: "I'm finishing my stamp collection." If something unexpected came up while he was out, rather than pick up the phone—which terrified him—he'd abandon the job and come back to the office for new orders, no matter how far away he was. He couldn't tolerate any delay when dealing with customers. We nearly fired him more than once. But where would he have gone? Yet imperceptibly, Nicola began to improve. Several things made the difference. We realized we needed one person at work to be his sole point of contact. His uncle gave us a small sum so we could pay Nicola based on tasks completed. We also committed ourselves to a shared approach: kindness, patience, and firmness—the same approach from everyone on the shop floor. Five years after arriving, Nicola is part of this company in every way. He's a solid contributor, earning a regular wage, and he can handle all the main office tasks. He takes pride in his work and in how carefully he does it. He tells people ours is the best company in the city. I should add that Nicola, fragile as he is, holds all of us together. We're moved by how far he's come. Everyone feels they've had a hand in his growth. That was true then. It's true now. There's one more thing I haven't mentioned: we made sure to meet with Nicola regularly to mark concrete steps forward in his development. This experience pushes us to encourage others to try it. There are so many Nicolos who could be rescued this way—from psychiatric hospitals, from the streets, from worse. - Ombres et Lumière n. 93