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Australian woman with Down syndrome starts thriving paper shredding business

(Photo: Vimeo)

A woman in Australia has found the perfect job for her 21-year-old daughter.

When Jo Lynam realizes the crushing reality that her daughter Emma would never learn to read and write due to her disability, she was concerned what the future would be like.

Emma has Down syndrome and a mild form of autism. She also suffers from hearing deficiency and is unable to speak due to a cleft pallet, which makes communication by speech difficult for her.

“I kept coming back to this thought that I’d always had that ‘if Emmy could read or write, everything would be all right’, but she can’t,” Jo explained to ABC Open News.

But as a professional shredder, Emma’s inability to read and write is actually something her clients value. As more and more leaked documents are being released to the public from government agencies to multi-national corporations, confidentiality is a huge concern for many businesses.

Emma borrowed a name from the Ninja Turtle’s nemesis and she was ready to work as ‘Master Shredder.’

“You could put a state secret in front of her and she won’t know,” said Jo.

“She needed a place for Emma to be a part of the community and make a difference,” said Steve Scholefield, who works with Emma. “And that she was doing everything she could to leading Emma down a path of being independent.”

“I just cannot speak enough about how gratifying as a mom that is to see your daughter wake up, and wanna go to work, and feel fulfilled,” said Jo.