CINCINNATI, Ohio— Getting a job isn’t always easy, but it can be even more difficult for those with disabilities. One Cincinnati woman hopes employers will see past her disability and hire her full time.

• Grace graduated high school last year and wants a full-time job.
• Grace learned she is great at mail sorting during an internship with Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.
• Grace hopes to find a full-time mail sorting job in downtown Cincinnati.

Grace Flannery has worked at Hair Management part-time for three years. But after graduating high school last year, Grace wants something a little bit more permanent. 

“At this point, Grace wants a full-time job to start her career,” Michael Flannery, Grace’s dad, said.

Grace has Down Syndrome- which can deter some employers. Grace says she learns a little differently, but other than that, she sees herself the same as everyone else.

“Down syndrome means we have different chromosomes of disabilities,” Grace said.

“She’s done what every other young adult has done,” Michael said. “I mean she’s graduated from high school, she was in cheerleading, she was on the swim team.”

Right now Grace works three days a week at the salon 

“I clean the bathroom, take out the trash, sweep, I do towels,” she said.

She also volunteers two days a week at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, which is where she found her true love of mail sorting. Grace hopes to find a job mail sorting at a company in Downtown Cincinnati. To help her find something- her dad made a Facebook post to get the word out- which has since gotten over one thousand shares.

“I got lots of posts- one thousand people to help me to find a job,” Grace said.

Her dad says he felt inclined to post it to open other minds to hiring someone like Grace.

“The part that makes it difficult is if she was applying for a job and somebody else that had the same credentials as her, but say, didn’t graduate from high school, who would get the job? The application with Down syndrome or the applicant without?” Michael said. “And that’s what we run into, is it’s easier for a boss to pick somebody without Down syndrome. But Grace can do the job.”

And he hopes someone takes a chance on her.

“Give her a shot,” Michael said. “Just like everybody else, whether they have a disability or not, when you’re entering the workforce, you need someone to give you a shot.”

And Grace says she feels confident knowing over one thousand people have her back.

“I feel great,” Grace said. “I feel confident; I feel proud.”

If you think you could help Grace find a job, here is a link to Michael’s original post.