Video - September 13, 2021

The Hiring Chain performed by STING | World Down Syndrome Day 2021.

Released ahead of World Down Syndrome Day 2021, and set to a soundtrack by Sting, The Hiring Chain shows how inclusive hiring can set off a chain of new opportunities, especially when it comes to people with disabilities.

Created by New York-based agency Small for Italian charity CoorDown, the ad tells the story of an inclusive hiring chain: opening by showing a bakery hiring a young woman with Down syndrome. When customers to the store meet her and see how skilled she is at her job, it sets off a series of positive actions by other local companies.

A woman and a man in baker's uniforms shaking hands in a bakery.
A woman and a man in baker's uniforms shaking hands in a bakery.

The film aims to raise awareness about the barriers and prejudices that people with Down syndrome can face in the workplace, which include a lack of opportunities, low expectations, and stereotypical attitudes. It also demonstrates the positive impact that overcoming these misconceptions can have on the individual employees as well as the wider companies and community.

A new website, hiringchain.org, has been created to help companies inspired by the film to find contact details for organisations around the world that can provide information, support and encouragement to help get more people with Down syndrome into the workplace. There is also in-depth information on employment and answers to frequently asked questions about creating an inclusive workplace.

A man with Down syndrome cuts hair in a barber's shop.
A man with Down syndrome cuts hair in a barber's shop.

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