Mother Ousted from Job for Having Down Syndrome Son

After fourteen years in situ at The Orange Grove Markets in Sydney’s inner-western suburbs, Malaysian Street-Food Chef Jackie Macedo has left her stand, feeling shunted out after recent complaints were made against her stall.

The complaints aren’t what you’d usually expect a food venue to be criticised over. It’s not a matter of hygiene concerns, pollution or negative customer feedback. The grounds for the complaints may very well shock you: the complainant is protesting against Ms Macedo’s three-year-old boy, Noah, being present at her stall.

Ms Macedo’s son Noah had been attending the markets with his mother, contained safely within a play-pen happily behind her work-station at her popular hawker-style food stand. Ms. Macedo (known lovingly as “Jackie M”), has been admired by market staffers and customers alike for her dedication and ability to both parent effectively and run her food stall at the same time, with customers mentioning they appreciate seeing Noah’s smiling presence at her stall.

While the exact specific nature of the complaint has not yet been revealed, Orange Grove Market organiser Stephen Choularton has assured the media that it’s not due to a concern for safety”¦ therefore, what reason could the official complaint about Noah’s presence at the markets possibly be?

Ms Macedo speculates that it’s because her son has special needs. Noah has Down Syndrome, and it’s the belief of the Chef/Mother that the complaints stem from outdated attitudes towards children with disabilities. She said she had previously faced enforced bans from several other markets around Sydney too, also on the grounds of Noah’s presence.

In an age where the home/work balance can be a difficult act, one customer highlighted how unnatural it is that The Orange Grove Markets wouldn’t support Ms Macedo bringing her child with her. “If only more people could bring their children to work in any work environment. We should be supporting parents not making it harder/impossible for them to work” she noted on The Orange Grove Market’s Facebook page.

Mr Choularton has expressed his deep upset for Ms.Macedo feeling coerced into leaving her position at the markets. He urged her to stay. However, she felt she wasn’t able to after the intentions for the lodging of an official complaint had been revealed to her by an Orange Grove Market member of staff.

Ms Macedo stated her decision was immediate in response to the claim of the complainant. “They said Noah’s presence at my stall was affecting their ability to trade effectively”, she said, adding that had also been suggested that other stallholders supported the complainant’s purported notion, yet not a single stallholder had taken the time to speak to her directly. Instead of raising any concerns for Noah’s presence with her personally they went directly to the over-seeing body of the market to lodge the official complaint behind her back. Under such circumstances, Ms Macedo felt no choice but to leave.

“People seem to think that children with special needs should not be outside or with their parents while they’re working”¦ they feel they should be kept at home, and cloistered”, stated Macedo. She expressed that the people supporting the complaint didn’t have an appropriate insight into her and Noah’s background or dynamic.

As a result of his condition, Noah has, since birth, endured seven months in intensive care, and has had three previous life-saving operations. In her opinion, this has created a resilient young boy and strongly professes: “if he can survive that, he can survive the market.” She also pointed out that after being at home with her throughout the week, Noah enjoyed attending the market. In addition to their enjoyment, Ms. Macedo also pointed out that she had no financial “need” to run her market stall, given she receives benefits for Noah’s disability, and runs her business for the sake of the pleasure it brings them, as well as her sense of “enterprising spirit”.

Mr Choularton has ensured Investigations into the grounds for the complaint are beginning to be undertaken. “Jackie is a strong individual who has been dealt a difficult hand by life. She deserves a medal, not criticism”¦ There are no safety issues at all and it’s a situation where the mum is just trying to do the very best for her child,” he said. It will be interesting to see what further findings of the investigation are revealed in due course.