This story is going viral, and for good reason.
Jordan Taylor is a 20 year old worker at Rouses Supermarket in Baton Rouge, LA. As Taylor was stocking the store’s refrigerators, he notices Jack Ryan Edwards, a 17 year old with autism was watching him work.
As Jack Ryan stared at the orange juice Jordan was stocking, both his father and Taylor thought the same thing: the teen must want some OJ. So, Taylor turned to Jack Ryan to hand him a bottle of orange juice, but there was no reaction. That’s when it clicked to the 20 year old worker, and he asked Jack Ryan, “Hey, do want to help me?” To which Jack Ryan, who is verbally limited, repeated, “help me.”
Together, the teen and the employee patiently and methodically restocked some of the refrigerated section for the next 30 minutes.
That’s when Mr. Edwards stood back and pulled out his phone to capture this incredible moment. The father states, “What I’ve learned is our world doesn’t accept autistic kids. It’s impossible for those kids to enter our world,” he continues, “We spend so much time working on that, but this man figured it out in eight seconds: He went into Jack Ryan’s world.”
Jack Ryan’s sister, 27 year old special needs teacher Delaney Edwards Alwosaibi, posted the video to her Facebook, saying, “Jordan was a champion of inclusion that day. He might not have known at the time but he was an advocate for our kids, for everyone who has a sibling, child or student with disability.”
But wait THERE’S MORE!
Rouses Supermarket has offered Jack Ryan a part-time position at their store, shadowing and stocking shelves.
Not only that, but Alwosaibi started a GoFundMe to raise money for Jordan Taylor’s college fund. Taylor loves math and hopes to be an educator one day. The campaign has already raised more than $83,000.
Alwosaibi says she told Jordan Taylor, “The things you do when no one’s watching, that’s who you really are, that shows your true character.” Amen to that sister!
We hope you take this feel-good-story of kindness and inclusion into your day, and spread the love around. We hope you have a wonderful day today, and you do it on purpose.
