Impact Feature Issue on Stories of Advocacy, Stories of Change from People with Disabilities, Their Families, and Allies (1988-2013)

In this 2013 story, Alvin Toy brings us up to date on his career, which has continued to advance for the past 15 years at the same San Francisco-based company. Today, that company, Prologis, is an international real estate corporation operating in 21 countries.

My name is Alvin Toy. My birthday is May 3, 1971, so I am 42 years old. I have lived in San Francisco my whole life. Now I live on Treasure Island. I live with two roommates, Matt and JP. I am very independent; for example, I buy my own groceries and prepare my own meals. I even have my own rice cooker! We have a case manager who helps us with things like bills.

I have a great job and I am happy. I work as an Office Assistant at Prologis and have worked here for 15 years! I have many responsibilities at work. I keep the kitchens organized and stocked with things like paper cups and silverware. I deliver FedEx and UPS packages when they arrive, and I deliver newspapers in the morning. When the mail comes, I sort the mail into the appropriate boxes. I also stock the production rooms, and make sure that the printers are full of paper and that there are plenty of pens, post its, staples, etc. for my coworkers to use. When we run out of these items, I write it down so my supervisor knows what to reorder. When there are big meetings, I help set up by arranging chairs and extra tables. And I always keep the conference rooms looking nice.

When I first started working at Prologis I had a job coach from WorkLink (a program of TransCen Inc.) who helped me find the right job for me, and then learn to do all the parts of my job independently. I still have a job coach from WorkLink now, but it’s a different person than the one from 15 years ago! My job coach is my friend. She is very nice and comes to see me at work and coaches me on what I’m doing to make sure I’m doing my best. I can always call her if I have questions or need help.

Prologis has a big, beautiful office right on Pier 1, where you can see the Bay Bridge, lots of boats, and Treasure Island (where I live!). I work full time, eight hours a day, five days a week. I make a salary around $30,000 a year, which helps me pay for things and be independent. I get full benefits from my job like health insurance and dental insurance.

People at my workplace are very nice. I have friends at work like Jennifer, Robert, Alpha, and Laura. My coworkers and supervisors like me and think I do a good job. This is what my coworker Robert said about me: “Alvin is very helpful when I need some extra help with the facilities duties, especially huge events. I have worked with him for six years and I’m very glad that he works for us. He has a great sense of humor and is very dedicated to his responsibilities for our department.” My boss, Sharon Bispo, the Facilities Director says, “Alvin has worked on my team for 13 years. He has grown leaps and bounds and now manages his own projects. He is a delight to have in the office and is very well respected.”

Overall, I am happy in my life. In the future, I hope to keep my job at Prologis and maybe get more responsibilities and learn new skills.