A 27 year old man with severe autism was recently fired after he had been volunteering at a major supermarket in Cheadle Hulme in Greater Manchester for more than four years.

This is right after he completed 600 hours of work assisting with tasks such as stocking shelves and emptying stock cages. His family and support worker recently asked if the supermarket could transition his work into a few paid hours every week. Their request was only for a few hours but what they received in return as a response left them shocked.

The store reported the matter to the head office, and shortly after that, the shifts of the volunteers were stopped and the placement stopped entirely after a two month hiatus.

The mother described this decision that was abruptly taken as truly heartbreaking, while another said her son enjoyed his weekly routine and the sense of belonging at this store. He’s unable to handle customer interactions alon,e but did perform well behind the scenes with a support worker present.

The family feels the corporate decision-making endeavor failed to treat him as an individual, and they are not seeking litigation, just reinstatement in some kind of capacity.

The supermarket has since then chosen to reply that it works hard to be inclusive employers and partners with various charities and does its best to give people fair and equal chances to work. But in terms of payment, that would not be an option as it was a volunteer opportunity.