A CAREER IN KINDNESS Sheridan's a Christmas angel

SHE’S OUT THERE GETTING JOBS FOR DISABLED YOUTHS

- Leena Tailor

While many teens are out-earning extra cash for clothes, concerts or a new phone with jobs at fast-food chains or clothing stores, at 15, Sheridan Jackson followed a starkly different path.

The young West Aucklander started working in independent-living homes at a residential service, assisting those with disabilities through wellbeing programmes ranging from swimming to gardening.

“Most of my friends worked in hospitality or retail, so I had a pretty different job from everybody else,” she tells the Weekly. “But I really enjoyed it and became passionate about it from a young age, so I stuck with it.”

It’s a good thing she did – at 27, Sheridan’s endeavors have helped empower and employ so many young adults with learning disabilities that she has been named a finalist for the Impact Award at this week’s 2020 Attitude Awards. The ceremony celebrates the achievements of Kiwis living with disabilities and Sheridan has been recognised for the impact she’s had helping them do so.

For Sheridan, it was her mother Richelle who had the greatest impact in steering her towards the noble career path.

Richelle worked as the day service coordinator at disability service provider Hohepa Auckland, where Sheridan, who grew up in a blended family with five siblings, started working at 15. “That early exposure to the disability community created the compassion and empathy in me,” she tells. “I was definitely a kid who thought about things a bit more, cared and was passionate about things.”