PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — The cafeteria is a busy place at HCA Florida JFK North Hospital in Palm Beach County. It’s full of hungry customers, hot food, and a whole lot of smiles.
Perhaps the biggest one comes from Joshua Dempsey, he’s genuinely just grateful to be there.
“I've been waiting for this opportunity, it’s been hard,” said Dempsey.
Sitting down with his mom, Cyndi Shamy, gives a little insight into what he means. She said Dempsey’s life was rough from the start.
“At 15 months, he was very developmentally disabled and delayed and he was behind intellectually with speaking," she said. "So, there was a lot of therapy, special schools and I wanted him to be able as an adult, for people to not to be able to notice he had all the disabilities.”
A handful of diagnoses, including autism spectrum disorder, at the time was the biggest obstacle for Dempsey to overcome, but true to his spirit, he was undeterred in his goal to get to work.
A few months ago, his vocational rehab program introduced him to Work Opportunities Unlimited.
Director in Training for Work Opportunities Unlimited Jenni Paine explained the program is geared toward building confidence and promoting inclusion.
“We are an employment services provider. We get referrals from the division of vocational rehabilitation and the agency for persons with disabilities, and we provide employment services to those who have problems with employment,” she said.
After 12 weeks of training, Dempsey had the tools he needed to succeed and now only stands out in the best way— as the happiest guy in the room.
“I probably am,” he said, “because every single morning I bring a smile and everybody sees it, and they know it’s one of those days that I would make their day.”
For his mom, it’s not about his long days or a paycheck but a man who has found his purpose.
“As a mother I’m very relieved, very relieved and very happy that he’s happy and that he enjoys what he does,” Shamy said.
Three months into the new job and Dempsey said he’s not going anywhere.
“I already found my dream, it’s right here,” he said.
So far, Work Opportunities Unlimited has placed 500 program participants in jobs in the South Florida area ranging from St. Lucie to Broward counties.
