Lily Anelezrk shows what can be achieved when people with learning disabilities get the right support and businesses are willing to give them a break.
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Ms Anelezrk spent a year with Tina Whiffen, founder of NDIS service provider Eurobodalla Stepping Stones, learning the skills and capabilities she would need in the workplace.
That led to Ms Anelezrk working for Yumaro, another NDIS service provider, which has a contract with Bunnings to supply bags of rags.
In 2021 Stepping Stones approached Katie Finney, owner of Moruya's Aussie Embroidery & Workwear about Ms Anelezrk.
"They said she was working at Yumaro doing similar type of work and asked if we were willing to put on Lily for work experience," Ms Finney said.
"Lily did two hours per week to start with to see what she could do, what she wanted to do and what we could teach her," she said.
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Work experience leads to job
The four months of work experience finished at the end of last year.
"Then we had a bit of a break and a restructure and she started in July doing eight hours a week," Ms Finney said.
Jay Whitby, from Eurobodalla Stepping Stones, supported Ms Anelezrk in her new part-time job.
"Lily is doing really well," Mr Whitby said. "She has come a long way and is really fitting in."
He said the focus of Eurobodalla Stepping Stones was matching the right people to the right jobs in order to sustain long-term employment.
"It is very important to find jobs where they are happy and comfortable."
Win for Lily and for business
Ms Anelezrk said her tasks include stock-taking, cleaning and tidying the shop, dealing with customers, delivering catalogues to businesses in the area, getting supplies for the shop, pricing products, and organising clothes on racks.
"Lily does the day-to-day tasks we may not have time to get around to so she is a valuable part of the team now," Ms Finney said.
Ms Anelezrk said her first job out of the NDIS environment had given her independence and she enjoyed meeting new people and doing different jobs.
"It makes me happy and gives me a sense of achievement," she said. "I have nice people to work with and Tina and Jay to support me."
Ms Finney was delighted how things have turned out.
"Taking on people like Lily is a really good way to have some help in the business," she said.
"It is nice being able to help people with disabilities get into the workplace and the support they get from Stepping Stones is really great."
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