Powerful Stitches - Man with disability stitching his way to success

Jose Allen lives by one powerful principle: "Use your strengths to overpower your weakness."

Diagnosed with an intellectual disability at age 12, Allen, now 27, has defied every expectation and turned his passion for embroidery into a flourishing business called Powerful Stitches. He also operates his own clothing line, the Team Powerful Collection, boldly reclaiming his narrative and inspiring others to rise above their limitations. Inside his workspace, Allen moves with purpose and precision. From vibrant logos to personalised patterns, each stitch his machine makes is a symbol of determination.

But Allen's journey to being a self-made entrepreneur was not smooth. While attending Harbour View Primary School, his mother noticed that he wasn't learning at the pace expected for his age. She took him to the Special Education Unit at The Mico University College, where he was assessed and diagnosed with an intellectual disability. Such disability is a condition characterised by limitations in intellectual functioning and adaptive behaviour, which covers many everyday social and practical skills.

Following his diagnosis, Allen received support from The Mico, and eventually passed for St Andrew Technical High School. However, he still struggled to keep up with his peers. So, his mother transferred him to Carberry Court Special School in Kingston and eventually to the Abilities Foundation at age 17.

"For persons with intellectual disabilities, it kind of limits your intellect, how you speak some of the time and how you learn. So if I'm in a class, sometimes mi find myself not keeping up with the class," Allen explained, adding that he refused to let his challenges deter him.

"I always believe in myself, so from I was attending Carberry Court and I realise that I have a challenge with reading and spelling, when I got home [I would] work to improve in every category, which is reading and spelling and stuff like that, and I just motivated myself," he said. But other challenges awaited him.

"I went to an interview and I was turned down because of my disability. The boss looked at me and said 'Yuh need to guh home because yuh doh ready for this.' I wasn't treated well, but from there, I worked on my weakness and elevated my strength as well," Allen recalled.

Though he once dreamt of becoming a meteorologist due to his love for science and weather, his path shifted at Garmex HEART Academy, where he was introduced to embroidery; something instantly clicked.

"That's the first skill I got introduced to. For me there wasn't a plan B from there, there was just embroidery, always embroidery, no other option. So I just worked from there and I tried to build on my career," he explained.

That passion grew into Powerful Stitches. Allen began by designing logos using digitising software and outsourcing the embroidery. The business started to grow, and soon he was able to purchase his first car. But when an opportunity came up to buy his own brand new embroidery machine, he didn't hesitate. Allen traded in his 2010 Nissan Tiida, valued at $800,000, and paid the difference to acquire the machine. Now, with hands-on control over the entire production process, Allen is making custom pieces under his label, Team Powerful Collection, a name inspired by his friends who always believed he would do powerful things. Still, the journey hasn't been without hiccups.

"Some of the time we find ourselves in some difficulty when communicating with clients and stuff like that. We never went to a business class so we learn along the way," he said. Despite the occasional bumps, his dream is expanding. Allen hopes to move the business from his home into a store, where customers can browse and shop. But he also wants his journey to empower others like him.

"For persons with disabilities, my advice to you is try to motivate yourself, plus, believe in God. Everything that I've accomplished so far, God is in the midst of it. So just believe in God and believe in yourself, pursue your passion, find something that you love, find your purpose. Find something that you love and work on it. And use your strengths to overpower your weakness," he said.

Allen is also working on organising training sessions to teach students with disabilities how to use his embroidery machine, so he can pass on both the skill and the inspiration.