My name is David Holowko and I am 26 years old. I was born with Down syndrome but I hate being told that I have a disability. I have lots of abilities, the same as everybody else! I like to be able to have choices and do the things that are important to me. I would like to get my driver’s licence so I can get to places easier. When I finish my studies I would like to do something to help others. When I find the right girlfriend, I might get married and move into a house of my own. I love playing my guitar especially at gigs and hope one day to write and perform my own songs. I love going out with friends and family. I work hard at improving my basketball skills so I can play the very best I can in the two teams I play for.

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I don’t have any friends or many memories from my primary school years but I made lots of friends in secondary school, many of whom I still keep in contact with.

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During year eleven I was able to get work experience at our local IGA supermarket at Templestowe, where I worked one day per week for 8 months. I enjoyed going to work instead of school, learning new things and best of all I loved talking with other workers and customers. I also had work experience at Waverley Industries and worked there, part-time for two years. I enjoyed working there and being with friends but the work was a little bit boring and the work place was a long way away.

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My dad also arranged for me to start work experience at the Lower Templestowe Woolworths store when I finished school in 2008. I loved working there straight away and I already knew how to do some of the jobs from working at IGA. Working at Woolworths was challenging but, my boss and a support worker from an employment agency helped me to learn all the new tasks I had to do. Over the next seven years I learnt how to do most of the different jobs in the store such as stacking shelves, cabbing, bringing in trolleys of produce from the back store, working up a ladder, date monitoring, cleaning, display and customer service. The job I love best is working with the ‘Fresh Food’ team in the produce area. It is lots of fun as well as really hard work. Recently I have been given an extra responsibility to help train new people coming in for work experience. I have to show them the right way of doing different things and how to help customers.

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One of my highlights was when Belonging Matters made a film clip of me working at Woolworths. The reason for making the film clip was to inspire businesses and other people with a disability to try and get a real job. It shows what is possible if you work hard and give it a go!

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I was proud when the film showed me getting a special ‘Staff Award’. I got the Staff Award because customers have been coming up to the front counter to report how pleased they were with the way I had helped them. I often get nice comments from customers about how polite and helpful I am in the store.

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I love working at Woolworths, Lower Templestowe with my workmates. It is a very important job because I help my fellow workers get the job done and I help customers find what they want. I feel that I am supported and valued at Woolworths.

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I have also been promoted from being a casual employee, only working three hour shifts twice per week in the beginning to being a permanent part-time employee working 14 hours over three days. Because I’m a good worker, I sometimes get asked to do extra hours when things get busy or when other workers are sick.

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One of the best parts of work, apart from being paid, is making friends with the people I work with.We have lunch together, go out for a coffee, catch up at the gym and discuss things we will do on the weekend. I like it when workers and customers stop to say “Hi” or have a chat when they see me down the street, at the Pines or at Shoppingtown.

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My job at Woolworths has changed my life!