Recalling his reaction to being made permanent at Premier Lotteries Ireland, operator of the National Lottery, Liam Foley leaves little doubt about his delight.
He is speaking in a room where many winners fill out the claim forms spread across the table and though landing a job straight from college shouldn’t feel like a lottery win in such a buoyant economy, the odds are still stacked somewhat against those who, like Foley, have Down syndrome.
From Trim, Co Meath, Foley graduated from Trinity College with a certificate in Arts, Science and Inclusive Applied Practice, a level five qualification, before taking up an internship with the National Lottery where he had previously completed an eight-week programme of one-day-a-week work experience.
Now 26, he had previously worked in a hotel close to his home and had a stint or two as a scarer at a Halloween-themed attraction close to Kells, jobs he recalls fondly and clearly enjoyed.
The current office-based role is different, but he says he loves coming to work and being with his colleagues. His manager, Audrey Chew, says they are all very fond of him too, with his “vibrant personality” having a hugely positive impact on colleagues.
His original stint at the National Lottery in Dublin took him around the house, working in the various departments of an organisation that employs 200 people, but, when the job offer came, all the departments seemed sure of the best fit for him. “I was on holidays in Gran Canaria when I got a telephone call to say I got a permanent job here,” Foley says. “I thought what? I’m going to be with the HR gang. Working with Audrey, the loveliest boss ever. I couldn’t believe it.”
[ Down syndrome and employment: ‘It shouldn’t be amazing anymore, it should just be the norm’ ]
Foley has a lot going on. He still lives in Trim and commutes to the company’s city centre offices three days a week. “The bus takes an hour,” he says, “but I’m very busy on it.” He is involved with Special Olympics, both as an athlete and a volunteer, and will be in Turkey this week where, accompanied by members of his family, he will competing in a number of events at the Trisome Games in Antalya.
When he is in work, his responsibilities are varied, although Chew says he benefits from being given tasks he can get to grips with and become really good at over time. “I do a lot of filing, typing and I organise events and rooms for interviews – interviews with people within the company,” he says.
As part of his role, he has had to master various software packages, most obviously Microsoft Office components, and work with other applications bought in from firms such as Hubspot. He also contributes to internal communications and writes weekly profiles for a newsletter on other members of staff.
His official title is People and Culture Champion, which probably gives a sense of the wide sweep of tasks involved. “When I came here first, when I started this job, I was thinking they might take advantage of me, but they haven’t and I like that.
“The people in HR are great. I do find some of the work a little bit hard, but a lot of things are easy. At first, I didn’t like to say when I found something hard and when I couldn’t do it, it was so stressful. I found it difficult to tell her I couldn’t do something and to help me out.”
That, though, subsided as both Foley and Chew say he got used to his new working environment and his colleagues became accustomed to the support he did and, just as importantly, didn’t need. “We’ve seen Liam grow a lot from when he did his work placement,” Chew says.
His role, she says, is very real and she plays down the notion that any great accommodations are required. “It depends what you consider an accommodation,” she says. “The main thing is just tailoring your communication style.
“With Liam, I would try to be very descriptive with requests to give a very complete, clear instruction and timeline so that he can understand what you want. But once he gets it, he gets it. And when he does, he can certainly deliver.”
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