UPS Hires 21-Year-Old Alabama Man With Down Syndrome

A 21-year-old man with down syndrome was hired at UPS, proving that nothing can stop him, his sister wrote on Twitter. Jake Pratt of Vestavia Hill landed the gig dropping off packages door-to-door in his hometown in Alabama.

"Thank you @UPS for giving my brother a chance & promoting inclusion in the workforce," his sister, Amy Hyde, wrote on Twitter on Tuesday. "Jake has Down Syndrome but that doesn’t stop him! He loves his new job running packages up to 8 hours per day. That’s after working 6-10 am every morning at the golf course. I’m so proud of him!"

Pratt isn't driving the truck but is working eight hours a day and achieving nearly 15,000 steps per shift. 

Pratt has always wanted to live independently, his sister said in an interview with People Magazine, adding that "none of it would be possible without people embracing him and giving him a chance."

This is not the young man's first accomplishment, his sister continued. "He wanted to score a touchdown in a game, and he did," she told the outlet. "He wanted to go to college, and he did."

Pratt graduated from Clemson University's LIFE program in the spring.

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