James' Personal Perseverance

James Mothershead is an intelligent guy.  He is an accomplished academic with both a bachelors and masters degree in Business Administration.  Not only an academic, James put his schooling to good use becoming a successful executive in the financial industry.  He worked in banking for almost 20 years.

When I met James he was looking for a new job.  He had just been diagnosed with Spinal Bifida, a condition that can make certain physical movements extremely painful.  Along with the Spinal Bifida, he was also dealing with clinical anxiety and depression.

Despite these challenges, James was determined to find employment. Early in the job search, he was having a difficult time locating an employer, everyone kept telling him he was over-qualified. In addition, his Spinal Bifida required him to find a position where he could accomplish his work sitting down or with very minimal movement.  He kept at it and found a job working as a cashier clerk at Walmart in Fredericksburg. In his role, James collects cash, dispenses change, checks out purchased merchandise, and provides customer service.

When James first started working at Walmart he had psychological and physical obstacles to overcome.  His anxiety made him feel unprepared for work. He also needed to utilize a stool when working the cash register to alleviate his back pain.  Working with Walmart, we were able to work out simple job accommodations for James, like a stool at his register. Feeling comforted by Walmart’s personalized care, he was able to overcome his anxiety.  He has been working in his current role for over four months and is now taking on more responsibility by training new employees.

James’ personal perseverance and the collaboration of Walmart with Choice Group has led to a positive working experience.  He is becoming more confident in his abilities by the day.  James is now looking forward to the future and excited to be working again.