. CROSSWALK SIGNAL BEEPS 'ATTITUDE' THEME MUSIC Captions by Antony Vlug. Edited by June Yeow. www.able.co.nz Captions were made possible with funding from NZ On Air. Copyright Able 2015 My name is Portia. I am 21, and I want a job. Hello. Hi. You ready? (LAUGHS) Um. What you got there? My CV. Yeah. Thinking about the meeting this afternoon? Yeah. I'm going to Farmers to see if I've got a job or not. That will mean, like, a... step for me in the path` like, the job path. So, you know this meeting today is about feedback on how you went... Yeah. for your work experience. How do you think it's gonna go? Um, a bit... I'm nervous. You're nervous. So I don't know what to expect if they tell me I didn't get the job. She's had five weeks' work experience there, and I'm hoping that it will lead to something, which we will find out this afternoon. I'm ready to go now, Mum. OK. > I'm really hoping that she's got one, cos it gets her into the retail field, in a big environment. I've really tried with handing my CV in and applying online and, um, everything to get a job. So what do you think? Are you excited? Pardon? Are you excited? Yeah. And nervous. Yeah. I feel like my disability is stopping me. I really want something really big and happy to happen to me. Are you nervous? Yeah. Yeah. (LAUGHS) (SIGHS) < How'd it go, Portia? Um, not good. No, it didn't go well. Um, but, at the end of the day, as they explained, it was just work experience and, um, they were promising nothing. We just probably were hoping for s` that they would see the potential in Portia, and, um... VOICE BREAKS: but they didn't. But it wasn't a job, so we` It was work experience, and that's what we're... It affects me really hard, because I know that Portia's got a lot of strengths and a lot of... th-things that she can give employers. I just feel that they need to give her the chance. Can you just look at the back. So let's go through the, um, CV, Portia. Employment history. Pages and pages. (CHUCKLES) So in the interview, if they say, 'Why do you want this job?' What would you say to that? Because I think it will be... a really cool... job to work in. And if they go, 'What can you bring to the job? What are your strengths?' What would you say to that? I've had heaps of retail experience. Mm-hm. And... Doing what, specifically? Um... Putting clothes on hangers and sorting out the changing rooms. Hi, Jess. Trying to find a job, it's been hard, because I've been handing, like, maybe 100 CVs out and applying online heaps. No one's called me back saying, 'We've got a job for you. You can start next Monday.' What about this one, Porsh? Do you want to go in here? Yep. Yep. Um, I'm wondering if you've got any jobs available. OK, are you wanting full-time or part-time work? Part-time. OK, have you got a little CV there for me that we can have a look at? Yep. OK, you leave that with me, and we'll get back to you in the next month. OK, thanks. OK, thank you. Bye-bye. Thank you. Bye-bye. Have a good day. You too. I'm... wondering if you've got any jobs available? Uh, we do, actually. We do have a part-time position. OK. So would you like to give me your CV? Yep. Yeah. They've all been lovely` lovely receptions, but unfortunately they, you know` they take her CV, but we don't often hear back. It makes me, like... There's nothing else I can do. I'm, like` I've done everything to get a job, like, handing CVs in, but obviously it's not enough. (LAUGHS) PEOPLE CHATTER So, what did you think about that one? You think` How'd the response go? Um, good. Yeah. What did they say? Um. BOTH CHATTER INDISTINCTLY Th-The thing is that she would be really good, because she wants it for a long time, like not just a short stint in between her studies or things like that. She's committed, but, um, unfortunately we just can't get her foot in the door, so... just keep plodding along. GENTLE MUSIC (SIGHS) I-It's been quite frustrating for us, I suppose. Uh, you know, we see this kid come out of high school, who really is expecting... everything, like every kid who leaves high school; they've got their whole life ahead of them, and they're gonna get a job and, um,... go flatting and go holidaying, hang out with their mates. Um, that was just not eventuating. Um, and as time went on, she... become a little less... enthusiastic about going out` putting CVs out because of the rejection of` either of first off rejection of saying, 'Oh, thanks, but, uh, no, we haven't got any jobs for you.' It's been two and a half years, and I'm still looking for a job. She was th-the perfect baby, because she slept; she didn't wake us up. At the time, we thought, 'This is brilliant,' but, um, as time went on, it turned out to be a, um,... a part of a syndrome. With her condition, it started out with developmental delay. About 2�, we were worried about her delay in lots of` lots of areas. She still had no language. It wasn't until she was 6�, they diagnosed her with a condition called cri du chat Syndrome, which is French for 'cry of the cat', because they have a cat-like cry. It's actually a deletion in the small arm of her fifth chromosome, so it's also called 5P-. Like a lot of these conditions, they have spectrums, and she was at the milder end of that spectrum, and so some of the cri du chat children have no language or have no mobility as well, so, you know, she was more able, and that may have been why she wasn't picked up earlier. I've got a dress. I have two sisters, Olivia and Juliette. I'm the oldest. We all love clothes. What shoes are you going to wear with that? Maybe these. Cos it's like the grey as well. < Yeah, they match. Cos it's really warm... My sister just got a job... just like that when she left school, and I thought that might happen to me, but it didn't. I got some shorts, which obviously I won't be wearing now, but... Cool. Yeah, for winter. I mean winter. (LAUGHS) Summer. For summer, bust them out. Yeah... It's been a pretty tough time for her. She just wants to do what her two younger sisters are doing and having a life and going out. As` To do that, she needs to meet people in an` in a` in an employment job. But, you know, we'd never stop trying, and... Hmm. Yeah, I-I-I think for, uh` well, for us, or for me, the worst part is being trying to, um, keep her happy,... upbeat, h-her self-esteem intact, because it hasn't` it has been hard to, um, keep her, you know, going out and cold-calling and handing out her CVs. It was good working at Farmers. I worked in womenswear, so I put those little size things on coat hangers, picked the clothes up from the ground, priced them. I think a few times I lost my customer when I was going to ask someone if I didn't know anything. When I finally got someone to help me, they` they told me, 'Where's your customer?' And I was like, 'They've disappeared.' (LAUGHS) Back in school, I think they thought I was dumb because I was with the Unit kids, and... it made it obvious that I had a disability, but now when I meet people, wh-when I tell them that I've got a disability, they tell me, 'Oh, you don't look like you've got any disability.' My problem is not actually having my disability. I know there is stuff I can't do. It's more about how other people see me and how they treat me. TRANQUIL MUSIC TRANQUIL MUSIC CONTINUES BRAKES SQUEAL I have to go to a day service and` with disabled people and stuff, and I felt... like I was at high school again. The day service is where people go with disabilities that's left school, so they do programmes there, like flatting skills, and they also help you get a job. Morning, Portia. Afternoon, sorry. (LAUGHS) Come in. Grab a seat. (LAUGHS) So we're just going to have a play with photography today and different camera angles, and, um, moving things closer or further away to make them appear larger or smaller, and, um` and a little bit of trick... trick stuff to make things look a little bit different. Should we get started? The reason why I don't really like going there, because it was a bit like school for me. Go this way. And you've got to hold the frame up. MUM: With Portia, she's come out of school, and she's gone to a day service, where they do lots of activities and things like that, and that's cool, but she's always wanted more. Like Portia, there's tons of kids that just all want paid work and to feel valued in society. Well, what are you doing, Portia? Um. I'm volunteering at the Red Cross. Cool. And, Portia, how has your day been? Good. How's yours? Gardening. Gardening was eventful. Olivia? OK. I've got better school tomorrow. ALL CHUCKLE Oh what, better? My last year of high school, I thought, like, next year's going to be the year I get a job, but it wasn't. I had to go to a day service. ALL CHATTER If I get a job, it would just... take away some,... um, downs this year. She's got a job at the Red Cross, which is work experience. In` In part getting her wish to work with clothing, and that came about through the day service. Hi, Portia. How are you today? Good. You have a good weekend? Yep. OK, you ready to work? Yep. OK. Um, I've got all these things here for you to put out into the shop. Uh, womenswear, some menswear. So I'll leave you to do that for me. OK. Thank you. Yep. She's been doing the clothing matching and pricing and stuff, and now she's starting to work on the till. We're realising that to get a job in a clothing store, that she wishes, she needs to know all these other skills. Hey, there. I'd like to get this. Hi. We're just in training here. That's all right. Thank you. You put in the price. TILL BEEPS Yep, women's skirts. TILL BEEPS Correct. Subtotal. OK. That will be $7, please. Cool. You've been given $20, so you put in the $20. I think they need to be patient and give me time to do stuff. OK, and cash. Great. So, $13. 10. A two. And a one. And your receipt. And you count the money back to the customer, so they know you've given them the right change. 10. 12. 12. And one is 13. And 13. Thank you, and your receipt. I think they need to remind me of stuff that they've told me, like, weeks ago, but just remind me, because then I might just forget. So, is there anything that you don't really understand on the till, Portia? Um... Is everything clear? Yep. What we've been` What we've worked through? Yep. OK. It's just that EFTPOS machine. The EFTPOS, yes. We just need a little bit more training on that. I think you'll be fine. Some people work in op shops, and then they get a job in a big retail shop afterwards, but that hasn't happened to me. There's a huge competition in retail. Sometimes I've given up handing CVs into retail shops, because that's not worth it, because I haven't got anywhere with, um, my work experience from here. SIREN BLARES I'm a firefighter in Hamilton, and` at the city station, and I thought there might be a chance that Portia could learn some office administration skills up in our executive wing. I ran it past the chief and Dianne, the office administrator. They were both quite happy to take Portia on. Hello. How are you today? Hey. Good. I've done your printouts for you today, so could you just do your job on the board, please? Yep. Portia seemed to enjoy it quite well. She enjoyed the interaction with adults in the workplace, as well as learning how to do office work, and potentially, down the road, th-that could lead to a job somewhere. The admin job, I sort out all of the petrol receipts from the trucks, and I put these envelopes to different stations, so they know what they've gone over budget with, like they've bought a hose that's $100, and their budget is, like, $90. RELAXED MUSIC We saw a TV story about a programme that Fairfax Media ran. It's called Creative Spirit, and the idea is to give entry-level jobs to kids like Portia. Today, we're on our way to Auckland. We're going to meet up with Annamarie, who's in charge of the Creative Spirit programme, and we're also gonna meet up with Emma, who is just a perfect role model for Portia to see what working in a big office environment may be about. Hello. Hi, I'm Annamarie. I'm Karina. Nice to meet you, and this must be Portia. I'm Portia. Come on up. Let's have a chat. Right, so take a seat. Here's my card. Thank you. So we were just, um, following up on` on a programme we saw on TV, your Creative Spirit programme, and we're just looking for, you know, an opportunity perhaps for Portia to get a job. Um, obviously, the Creative Spirit Programme is really new for us, and it's in an initiative we're kicking off, and it's basically about developing and encouraging businesses to have employment opportunities for people, um, like yourself, Portia, so it would be really neat if we could find you employment. So, Portia, you were working at the fire station, is that correct? Yep. OK, and what kind of jobs did you do there? Um, I did office work, so I, um... I sorted out petrol receipts from the trucks. Yeah. And, um,... I put these bits of papers in` in different envelopes for different stations, so they know what they've spent over budget on,... Oh OK. ...so maybe if they've bought a hose for something, then they know if they've gone over budget or not. Oh, that's important, yep. It goes back to, you know, 24% of the NZ population are touched with a disability, and hopefully this programme will create those opportunities for those people to contribute to society, just like everybody else. Look, well, thanks for coming in. That's really good. Um, what we'll do is we'll keep in touch. I'll, um, email you and make sure if there's any other opportunities that come up, we'll certainly keep in touch, and we'll have an interview` a formal interview and go from there. OK, well, that sounds great. Thank you. It's a double-edged sword, like, you know, when you talk about creating an opportunity, you can't have` It's not a charity. You've got to have a position where` or you've got to have a task for somebody to do, but it's actually` What it is, it's about businesses opening their eyes to the potential to employ somebody like Portia. You know, it's a potential to open their eyes around the diversity that they should be representing in their em` in their, uh, staff. BEEP-BEEP! Hi. Hi. Annamarie said you were coming. Nice to meet you. Yeah. This is my mum and dad. Hello. Nice to meet you. Hello. Hi. How are you? Hi. This way. This is finance. Yeah. This is finance again. This is... Emma, that we saw in a TV show, I saw her mixing with other people that were working and her filing the newspapers, and I thought I could do that sort of thing. This is Nicki. Hi. And this is Garima. Hiya. BOTH: Hi. Hi. So, this is my desk. How do you like it? Good. What do you...? What sort of work do you do here? (SIGHS) God. I put the TV Guides in the, um, envelopes and send them out to people. Yeah, and then I've got this database. Every morning when I do the mail, these, um, returned magazines that people either haven't got or wrong address or something, the second row is the issue of when it was issued. The third row is customer ID and customer name, and then comment or reason for renewal. Hi. How'd that go? > Good. Yeah. > Got a job? > Not yet. (LAUGHS) Ah OK. > They're going to, um, talk to the Waikato people down there. ELECTRONIC MUSIC Fairfax have been in contact with us, saying how Portia's getting a job going? I think Portia had made an impression, because here was just a kid that really wanted to work. Annamarie rang us one day out of the blue, asking how Portia was going, whether she had a job, and alluded to the fact that there was a slight possibility that there may be a position coming up that she may be able to apply for. Yeah, so, you know, like, when we go to the interview, Portia,... Yeah. ...to, um, tell them about all your Fire Service work. Yeah. Nervous? Yeah? Hi. Hello. Hi, I'm Christine. Hi, I'm Karina. Hi, Karina, and you must be Portia. Hi. Wayne. Hi. Hi, Christine. Cool, come on through. Just around to the left. Thank you. Welcome. Well, welcome, Portia. Lovely to have you here. Tell me a little bit about yourself. I got horse riding in Cambridge every second Saturday. Oh, wow, very cool. Sunday afternoons I do Special Olympics swimming training. Oh wow. Now, I understand you've done some volunteer work with the Red Cross and also with the Fire Service. Um, so, at the Fire Service, I did admin work there. Mm-hm. I sort of worked in a team. I worked with a lady called Dianne, and at the Red Cross, I helped in the shop, so I hang` I sorted out new stock. OK, Portia, I'd like to just give you a little bit of a rundown on what the job entails. So the role mainly is, like, to tidy up the kitchens, just to put the dishes through the dishwasher, and just a little` stock up our supplies down there, and, um, then we'll have after that a little bit of newspaper filing, and then, um, after that we` you'll be topping up the photocopiers with paper, and then we have what` mail-outs. That sounds awesome. < Oh, cool. That sounds good, eh, Portia, cos you've been doing a lot of that with the Fire Service and stuff like that. I think you'll be a good fit for our team, so we'd like to offer you the role, so I'll let HR know, and we'll get the documentation and have a look over it, and then you can start. ALL LAUGH Awesome. Oh my gosh. Oh, that will be good, then. All righty. OK, so thank you very very much. That's OK, and see you later. Thank you so much. No worries. See you, bye-bye. Yay. Hey, this is so cool. Exciting. BOTH CHUCKLE Just unbelievable. All this hard work we've done to-to... She's got a job. That's just wow. Wow. So how long has it been that you've been looking for a job now, Portia? > Two and a half years. Yeah, it's been a long time, huh? > Hmm. Um, really happy. (LAUGHS) And excited to start a new job. Paid job. Yeah, paid job. Yeah, yeah. You get your own money. Um, right, tea's gonna be ready shortly, so can you guys set the table? Looking back on our journey, Portia, her want and her drive for more for her life and to be more in control of her life, has led me to go down the path of enabling good lives. It's just about changing society and their thinking. To other parents in similar boats, I would just say, 'Just keep trying. Just keep plodding along, supporting your child through the journey.' I just think if we have employers opening up their minds more and just looking around their workplaces and saying, 'We could easily have our systems improved by having people that want jobs 'and are very loyal being there and being part of the community.' Well, cheers to Portia and her new job and her future. Absolutely. Well done, Portia. Cheers. Well done. Yeah. Well done, family. GENTLE MUSIC Captions by Antony Vlug. Edited by June Yeow. www.able.co.nz Captions were made possible with funding from NZ On Air. Copyright Able 2015 APPLAUSE This year's ninth annual Attitude Awards will be held on December 3rd. Join us at the Viaduct Events Centre in Auckland to celebrate the achievements of NZers with disabilities. Tickets are on sale now. For more information, go to attitudelive.com