After a woman with Down’s syndrome was inundated with support after she was pictured working at Asda, a charity has spoken out on the barriers to employment still facing those with learning disabilities.

Shelley Harris, from Sheppey, received thousands of likes on a Facebook post of her learning the ropes at the Sittingbourne superstore.

Shelley has Down's syndrome and has been carrying out work experience in Mill Way since November.

Her mum Katie says they were both “stunned” at the response online.

“I thought there would be a reaction locally, but I didn't realise how big it would be,” Katie said. “It was amazing.

“Shelley was quite proud to see herself on there, with lots of people saying well done.”

The picture of the 27-year-old smiling while stacking shelves received more than 20,000 likes and hundreds of positive comments on Facebook.

One person said: “I love this! Everyone with a learning disability who wants to work should be given every chance.

“This gives them a purpose and promotes their independence.”

Another added: “It is so nice to see a major company like Asda helping and supporting young people like Shelley.

“It shows human kindness, support and concern.”

Shelley attended Meadowfield – a special needs school in Swanstree Avenue – then went on to study at Canterbury College until she was 24.

She now lives in supported living on Minster Road.

Her work at Asda started after she was contacted by The Fenner Frost Foundation.

The local charity supports young adults with learning disabilities to develop the skills needed to access paid employment opportunities.

It was set up in 2016 by Alison Fenner, who previously worked at Meadowfield helping sixth-formers.

She discovered that many students didn’t have the support after college going into the job market.

The 58-year-old said: “It was that next step out of education where I felt there was a gap for these young people.

“There weren't many services that would teach them the skills to get employed.

“We decided to set up a shop, as it would be a good environment for them to learn, not just in a classroom, but to actually be doing it.

“I think for those with learning disabilities it's much more important to physically do the work than sit and learn from a worksheet.”

The charity has a record store on West Street where they teach all aspects of retail.

This includes pricing stock, cashing up, sorting donations or completing a social media post.

“Everything that happens in the shop is done by the students, but with us supporting them,” Alison added.

“They're learning all those skills in a safe and supported environment, as opposed to going straight into a regular shop with nobody to show them the way.

“They love serving the customers and using the till.”

Alison has worked with national companies like Asda and Co-op, as well as other local charities such as Spadework in West Malling, to provide work experience for the students.

However, it has been a struggle to find more businesses that are willing to offer this. Most of the time companies say they would like to, but never set anything up.

Others claim it will be difficult due to the paperwork involved, or they don’t have the staff available to oversee it. Some don’t even reply to Alison at all.

“It’s disappointing,” she explained. “It is quite hard to get people to take on our guys.

“There are barriers to employment for people with learning disabilities. I think there's a lack of understanding and knowledge.

“People don't realise that making a few reasonable adjustments means that it's achievable for them.

“Their work ethic is amazing. They're loyal, trustworthy, dedicated, motivated and willing to learn as a team.”

Since Shelley has been working at Asda, Katie says it has made a “big difference” to her life and she has grown in confidence.

The 55-year-old mum hopes her daughter will eventually be offered a similar paid part-time job in the area.

She said: “I didn't realise quite how far it would go and how hard she'd work.

“It's been amazing and is definitely something that needs to be expanded on. They can bring so much energy and enthusiasm.

“I think a lot of businesses could benefit, but they just don't realise it.”