Marc Rueda: the triumph of inclusion over rice and cocktails
- A support network
- Unfounded prejudices
- Support in the face of doubts
- A permanent charm
- A question of dignity
Marc Rueda has been working for two years at the Gallito restaurant, part of the Tragaluz Group. He has Down's syndrome and got his job through the Incorpora social and occupational integration programme of the ‘la Caixa’ Foundation, but it is thanks to his effort, his perseverance and his friendliness that those around him at work now define him as an impeccable professional. To mark World Down Syndrome Day on 21 March, we accompanied Marc at work for a day.
Marc Rueda arrives on time every day at the Gallito restaurant, a bright establishment by the beach, with palm trees and terraces. Rueda has been doing everything there for two years and doing it all well. But the margarita cocktails, made with sugar, lime and tequila, are his greatest achievement.
‘I tidy the room, I take the trays with the food, I collect the money at the tables, I serve at the bar... I'm getting faster and more efficient all the time,’ says Rueda. The business manager, Willy BellaBiod, attests to this performance. He recognises Marc's work, his ability to learn and his social skills: ‘He wants to learn, he finishes what he starts, he likes to do everything... He hasn't stopped evolving’. He is one of the team, a diligent colleague who helps anyone, anytime.
Marc Rueda, however, is much more than a competent worker. He is one of the almost 35,000 people with Down syndrome in Spain, one of the 23,000 of them of working age and one of the barely 1,150 who have a job. In fact, in Spain only 30.7% of people with disabilities are in work. The difference is dramatic compared to the almost 74% employment rate among the rest of the population. Rueda is an exceptional case, but also a resounding success story.
A support network
The Tragaluz Group has been working for years with Incorpora, the labour market integration programme of the ‘la Caixa’ Foundation, and has already helped 18 employees join the workforce thanks to this initiative. Marc Rueda arrived at Gallito through the Catalan Down's Syndrome Foundation (FCSD), one of the organisations in the Incorpora network.
The programme forges links between the social sector and the business world. 411 social organisations work together to form a network that supports people at risk of exclusion throughout Spain by designing personalised socio-occupational integration pathways for them. Marc Badia, coordinator of the FCSD's Labour Inclusion Service, clearly emphasises the importance of this joint effort.
‘The networking that we do at Incorpora organisations by sharing job offers makes it possible to multiply the job opportunities for people in vulnerable employment situations that we support. The programme thus achieves excellent results,’ says Badia.
The coordinator of the Employment Inclusion Service, in relation to the possibility of working with the same methodology and under the umbrella of Incorpora, emphasises: ‘All the organisations have a common approach and we can provide a faster and higher quality response to companies, which is what they expect from us. We must not forget that we are offering a service to companies’. The results achieved in 2024, with nearly 40,000 placements in more than 15,000 companies, confirm the strength of Incorpora's methodology.
And word of mouth works. Incorpora frequently receives requests for collaboration from many companies that hear about the initiative's small successes. Badia is optimistic: ‘When other companies do it and it goes well, many others consider participating, knowing that they have the support of foundations like ours, which gives them security’.
Unfounded prejudices
However, a lack of knowledge about these groups in some companies is still an obstacle when it comes to incorporating these workers into the labour market. Companies are experts in their sector or business, but they do not have the knowledge and confidence necessary to know how to work with people with disabilities. Marc Badia even says that, sometimes, people with Down's syndrome are still infantilised, belittled and treated with condescension.
Hence the importance of raising awareness and supporting companies so that they open up to social and labour market inclusion and discover what these people can contribute and the advantages of having diverse teams.
According to Willy BellaBiod, we should not deny the possible limitations they may experience during their working day, which are common to those of any other employee, but rather contribute to their learning and move forward hand in hand. For the director of Gallito, it is similar to the method of a good sports coach. It is about team members getting to know, value and respect each other in order to enhance their virtues and bring out the best in each other. ‘We adapt to each other,’ he adds.
Support in the face of doubts
When there is any doubt about their skills, the solution is to raise awareness, provide training and offer support. The work of Incorpora's specialists begins with the design of integration pathways and continues with support not only in the recruitment process but also during the adaptation to the job. They provide them with constant guidance and support.
‘Marc Badia helped me a lot,’ the waiter recalls. The continuous monitoring carried out by Incorpora's technicians includes going to the restaurant and talking to other employees and managers to find out about Marc's day-to-day life.
The restaurant manager is grateful. “We all work together, we communicate everything. And they help us,” says BellaBiod. In the end, it's about standing by people in vulnerable situations, but together with companies. And that way everyone wins.
A permanent charm
The 27-year-old is from Sant Boi de Llobregat and it takes him an hour by bus to get to his workplace on the coast of Barcelona. On the worst days, when customers are constantly coming and going and there can be as many as 25 requests in one go, Rueda had to grit his teeth and deal with his nerves at the beginning. But he always raised his hand when he needed to ask for help and now he is able to cope even in those moments of pressure.
He loves interacting with people, attending to the public, chatting, listening. Moreover, his presence brings out a sense of camaraderie among the waiters and people look at the business in a different light when they see how natural something that was so unusual until recently is. ‘We are all delighted: the public, the customers, the workers, Marc himself... And for me it has been a learning opportunity too,’ admits the manager of the premises.
A diverse workforce improves the working environment and increases company productivity. Marc Badia argues this conviction: ‘There are studies that quantify this phenomenon and our experience shows that, in workforces made up of people with disabilities or from different cultures and customs, among other aspects, a very good working environment is generated. In addition, they provide better attention and the service contributes more robustly to corporate results.’
A question of dignity
‘I like to move around on my own,’ says Marc. This sums up the independence that a decent wage brings. His manager agrees. BellaBiod believes that people with Down's syndrome should not remain isolated. On the contrary: the routine ‘I like to move around on my own,’ says Marc. This sums up the independence that a decent wage brings. His manager agrees. BellaBiod believes that people with Down's syndrome should not be isolated. On the contrary: work routines allow them to connect with colleagues, interact with others, step out of their comfort zones and meet new people almost every day; to start living, as it were, to feel part of something bigger that also concerns them.
Suddenly, something as apparently ordinary as having money in an account takes on vital importance. ‘Marc can go out for a drink, spend what he wants, buy a T-shirt... And learn to control his spending,’ says Willy BellaBiod.
These small everyday actions show that integration into the labour market goes beyond a monthly salary. Ultimately, the final goal of projects like Incorpora is to give people like Marc what is theirs by right, what should never have been taken away from them since the dawn of time: respect and dignity. So they can participate as active members in the affairs that concern the society of which they are part, in the economy that governs their customs and in the culture that gladdens their soul. They are in a position to take charge of their lives.
Rueda is down to earth about this and explains why she thinks her experience can serve as an example: ‘I bring experience. And I show that with discipline and effort you can go far.’ And with great humility she recommends patience to other people with Down syndrome who are still waiting for their opportunity: ‘They can rest assured. An offer is going to appear at any moment.’