Worker With Down Syndrome Fired From $12-A-Week Job

A worker with Down syndrome was fired from his job of 15 years.

Because of budget cuts, Mark Stanganelli, a 45-year-old man with Down syndrome, has been relieved of his current job as a silver polisher.  Mark was paid $12 a week by a nonprofit public entity.  His parents were notified in a letter by the collaborative that Mark’s $600-a-year job was no longer an option for Mark.

During an interview with Gerald Stanganelli, Mark’s dad, and AOL Jobs, the decision to move his son to a new position as a paper shredder was because the hotel no longer had the room available where the silver polishing was done in his role before.

After the story went public, dozens of Americans reached out to the family and AOL offering to pay the money in order to keep Mark’s job.  The family was more concerned about Mark’s “sense of worth” and his independence rather than the money.

Due to the overwhelming response of the public, the Executive Office of Health and Human Services met with the Stanganelli family.  A statement was issued to AOL Jobs stating that Mark would be allowed “to stay in a position at the Wyndham while we work with the family.”

If you or a loved one has been the victim of a case such as this, contact John Foy & Associates at 404-400-4000.  Our firm is experienced in handling personal injury claims such as denied social security, nursing home abuse, worker’s comp, and other claims related to personal injury.  We work hard to get our clients the compensation they deserve.