By Norah Rafferty, Invest Hamilton County Intern
I recently received the opportunity to shine a light on a hard worker to eliminate stigma around cognitive disabilities. Ryan, a young man who is very social and enjoys hanging out with his friends and playing basketball in his free time, has taken on a position with Spokenote. Spokenote is a print company that allows its customers to add any personalized video, message, and/or picture to QR codes. These QR codes are used to create a physical product that can make a memory last forever.
Ryan’s employer, Cory McEachran, expanded upon what Ryan brings to the table. Cory encountered an issue where every QR code was printed twice, even though each one was supposed to be unique. To separate all 40,000 QR codes, he would have had to scan them by himself. Bringing Ryan onto the team provided an opportunity for intellectual growth and a supportive social environment, all while maintaining the team’s productivity.
When first meeting Ryan, his smile, excitement, and eagerness to work will brighten your day instantly. His main role at Spokenote is scanning the QR codes, sorting the stickers into groups of ten, packaging them, and then putting ten of the packages into a pile for Cory to ship out. Ryan has been a part of the team for nearly three years. Throughout these three years, Ryan has been transparent about the challenges he faced in staying organized and establishing a productive routine. Initially, Ryan struggled with scanning the QR codes, but with quick adaptations, his support crew built a cardboard box that held up the scanner for him and automatically scanned the codes. Recently, Ryan completed the monumental task of scanning, sorting, and packaging 40,000 QR codes and is eager to begin his next project.
Although Ryan is excited to try something new, he loves a routine, and as we all know, breaking a routine is not easy. For Ryan, when there is a roadblock in what he is used to, he often stays motivated by thinking of the things he has to look forward to. For example, when speaking with Ryan, he talked about his upcoming plans in his calendar and listening to music. His favorite music to listen to during the holiday season is the Frozen soundtrack, and his favorite movie is Batman. He enjoys partaking in “Boy’s Night,” which entails eating out with friends, going to the movies, and bowling.
Ryan is a kindhearted guy who waves to everyone walking by, and like my experience, a smile immediately appears on their faces. Due to Cory’s compassion and Ryan’s hard work, they were able to break down barriers and challenge stigmas.
At Spokenote, Ryan is not just a team member—he’s a shining example of how embracing differences can lead to greater opportunities for everyone.