ST. GEORGE’S, GRENADA April 16 — A young man who refused to be defined by his disability has finally been given the chance he deserved.

Abel Mark, a scoliosis sufferer whose repeated applications for employment were dismissed by companies citing concerns about his physical limitations, has been hired by Rolanda McQueen, Chief Executive Officer of Mt. Pure Water, following a face-to-face meeting that also included St Mark Community Mobilizer Cyril Britton.

The meeting, which GBN facilitated in the wake of its coverage of Abel’s plight, came after multiple employers turned him away — some citing an inability to open doors or use bathroom facilities.

At least one company stated, in what Abel described as a deeply troubling exchange, that it “preferred girls.”

Despite holding qualifications and demonstrating graphic design skills, Abel found himself shut out of the workforce at every turn.

“I knew I would find a place to put you in. Whichever way we had to fit you in, we were going to find a place — whether we had to build somewhere special for you downstairs, it was fine,” said McQueen, who disclosed that ten employees with disabilities currently work at Mt. Pure Water.

“You are not a charity case, and you don’t want charity — you want to work. You said it very clearly: I am qualified to work; give me the opportunity. And that’s what I’m doing. I have ten people with difficulties working in my company, and none of them are charity cases. They walk in — and you will walk in — as family.”

Community Mobilizer Cyril Britton praised the outcome as a model for how Grenadian businesses should respond to talent — regardless of physical circumstance.

“This is exactly the kind of response we need from our business community. Abel has the qualifications, the drive, and the character. All he needed was someone to open the door.”

For Abel himself, the moment was overwhelming — a release after years of rejection that had, at times, pushed him to the edge of giving up entirely.

“There were times I would actually want to give up. Because of what companies did to me, I didn’t even want to do anything. But I kept going”.