Luv Michael 42 Walker Street (Tribeca) New York, NY 10013 (646) 661-1224 luvmichael.org Name of contact: Founder-Lisa Liberatore Lisa cell: 917-699-5118
“A 501c3 established in the home of the founders in 2015 to train, educate and employ people with autism. In 2016, the program moved to an entrepreneur space (industrial kitchen) in Long Island City with son Michael and one other person to they can make and package Luv Michael granola. The program, now much larger, sells to several well-known stores and is in the process of moving from Long Island City to Tribeca in Manhattan. Participants do not pay for the program. They receive a paycheck for their work. The founders handle most costs with grant support helpful as well. The goal is to have for-profit and not-for-profit divisions.”
My 2018 Visit (Keep Reading for 2019 Updates!)
Luv Michael is the first job site I visited and in many ways, was the inspiration for this project. Dr. Liberatore reached out to me at the suggestion of a mutual friend. I went to visit the program’s rented kitchen and classroom space in Long Island City, NY. I observed the entire granola making process and learned that Liberatore needed to hire many professionals for both the vocational training component, and for recipe development (“granologist”), packaging, etc. Participants combine ingredients, bake and measure out the correct quantity, weight and consistency (not too crumbly) and package it. During the visit, I asked if Dr. Liberatore knows of similar programs and job sites specifically geared toward training and employing people with disabilities. She referred me to the Facebook group, Autism, Entrepreneurship. This was a useful starting point for identifying businesses and tuning in to the concerns of parents expressed in the discussion. I have kept in touch and recently updated the Lessons Learned section.
Updated provided by Luv Michael August, 2019
Luv Michael is a Non-Profit 501c 3organization that produces high quality organic, gluten-free, and nut-free granola without all the harmful chemicals and toxic allergens. The company was founded in 2015 by Lisa Liberatore, MD and her son Michael with the goal of providing meaningful employment and on the job training to those diagnosed with Autism. Michael Kessaris is the inspiration for Luv Michael Granola. Michael’s new line of gluten-free and nut-free granola is taking its first delicious bite out of the fast-growing natural foods niche with distribution in the fifteen Manhattan locations of Fresh & Co. stores. In addition to meeting consumer demands for a high quality snackable granola in the growing market for nut-free and gluten-free foods, Luv Michael is part of an inevitable wave of career-finding solutions for those, like Michael, living with Autism. For Michael and his team, producing the highest quality gluten-free and natural products was a logical tie-in; healthy dietary alternatives have been found to be beneficial to many with Autistic symptoms. Providing training and income for others on the Autistic spectrum became their mission. With the disability affecting 1 in 68 births and rising, employment for the maturing Autistic population has become an increasingly significant challenge for many. The success of Luv Michael is even more compelling, considering that employment for those on the Autistic spectrum is lowest among those with disabilities.
Finding a career was not easy for Michael, a Port Washington, NY native. Despite his love of cooking, Michael was unable to enroll in culinary school without a high school diploma. Michael’s parents, both physicians, Lisa Liberatore, MD and Dimitri Kessaris, MD, helped create the food-based business so that their son and others with Autism would not be a burden on society or limited in their potential to lead happy and productive lives. They started Luv Michael under the parent company, Indigo Life, which represents a commitment for doing even more for the Autistic population.
The idea was born to make a healthful quality product that could provide income and a career for both Michael and other individuals with Autism. Luv Michael provides a therapeutic employment environment, which caters to the special needs of the employable Autistic person. Luv Michael now employs over 10 full-time granologists that provide fresh granola to Starbucks, JetBlue, Fresh and Co, D’Agostino Supermarkets, Gristedes Neighborhood Grocers, Wild By Nature and over 60 other retailers. The Liberatore and Kessaris family are working with autism specialists to develop an entire curriculum based upon the New York State food handler’s license and are dedicated to not only teach cooking and food safety but also all aspects of a small business including sales, marketing and customer service and distribution.
Luv Michael’s mission is to “provide a meaningful culinary vocation for the Autistic population and to produce exceptional gluten-free and natural products.” So far, success is sweet for Luv Michael. Luv Michael’s story is about to take a huge leap forward with the opening of our higher-capacity kitchen and learning center in the Tribeca section of New York City. Luv Michael’s new headquarter is expected to open in October 2019. In this dedicated space, granologists will learn their trade and take part in the manufacturing process. Most importantly, they will grow as workers and members of the working world. The skills they gain here will most assuredly be used for many years to come in future jobs and careers
Founder Dr. Liberatore Shares Observations/Lessons Learned:
Legal Fees Are Enormous! (very important to set up each system and mechanism properly; last year, paid $10,000 now to get nonprofit registered in different states (we will have a nonprofit and a for profit division—nonprofit is training, curriculum, special education teacher salary, etc.)
How to Work and Not Lose Social Security Benefits? “The System Is Barbaric! –this is why parents don’t want their children paid—don’t want them to jeopardize SS benefits. “I went down to SS—if he works, the $700 meant for living (residence), food, clothing, etc. automatically has $85 deducted off the top, then for each dollar he makes, they deduct $.50—to incentivize him to work. And the mom must go in person so I would have to miss a day of work.” “how do I pay them when parents don’t want them to get paid.” (I bring 5 one dollar bills and tape it to their work stations…so they “see” they are getting paid for their work.”
Costs—we have funded it (we reason our other son is going to NYU and we pay the tuition; starting this program is training for 10 with disabilities)
When trying to make a financial sustainable business you need to focus equally on the business as you work on the mission.
You need experts in the field to really commit to your project.
You need to try and keep overhead as low as possible but also spend where it counts. For us, it was recruiting a great special education teacher with many years of successful teaching the autistic population and is willing to think out of the box.
You must believe in the mission fully because it will be a costly project to finance before it becomes financially viable- that means years of hard work and doubts!
Others will say you are crazy
Stay true to the reason you started it and don’t compromise. We want a healthy and tasty product and also to provide education and enrichment to our granologists.
That is counter to the business world where they want to make a cheap and unhealthy product, mass produced and employ people for the low skilled jobs without future growth and stimulation.
When you do it “right,” people get it and start helping you for low cost or pro bono.
Protect your brand and don’t try to grow too fast. You need your ducks all lined up and the project completely worked out and written down before it can be replicated.
This next year will show whether we are sustainable or not as we move into our own space, grow our snack line and procure more outside funding.
Updated on : October, 2019
Luv Michael Co, now in its fourth year of business, recently opened a 3,000 square-foot, state of the art commercial space in Manhattan’s Tribeca neighborhood. It is outfitted as both a comprehensive learning and training center as well as a high capacity commercial kitchen where young adults with autism will train for the New York State food handler’s license and produce the company’s product – organic, all-natural and gluten-free granola.
Currently, Luv Michael Co. employs 10 ‘granologists’ that provide fresh granola to Starbucks, Fresh & Co, D’Agostino Supermarkets, Gristedes Neighborhood Grocers, Wild by Nature, totaling over 60 retailers in the greater New York City area. A replication expansion project at the Greek Orthodox Church of The Hamptons, employs 10 more. Luv Michael Co. will soon begin producing its products for JetBlue.
Yes She Can (Job Skills Development Program) at Girl Again—A Resale Boutique for American Girl Dolls 4 Martine Avenue, store 2B White Plains, NY 10606. YesSheCanInc.org Name of contacts and title: -Marjorie Madfis, President marjorie@yesshecaninc.org Office: 914-428-1258; Mobile: 914-837-1467 -Lesli S Cattan, LCSW, Director of Training Programs Lesli@yesshecaninc.org (917) 880-5478
“Yes She Can is an incubator, laboratory and job skills development program at Girl Again: A Resale Boutique for American Girl Dolls Girl Again, a business around a special interest: American Girl dolls. Young women with autism and related learning and social disabilities are coached by clinical professionals and business managers in all aspects of the business. Trainees develop transferable skills including technical skills and work place social skills as well as self-advocacy and emotional regulation. .” Founders report that 80% of adults with autism are not in the workforce despite the fact that most have a desire to have a job.
My Visit:
The Girl Again store is located on a busy street in White Plains, New York, near other stores, cafes, offices and a large city parking lot, where I parked. Marjorie, the founder, and Lesli, were generous with their time in explaining every aspect of the “incubator” and business, from how they got the space, to how they get merchandise donations, and make sales. The store receives donations of dolls and all their accessories from across the United States; they have received more than 700 donations in five years from doll lovers and collection drives as “mitzvah projects.” They report a challenge has been attracting customers given an overall decline in the country in the purchase of toys and dolls. At one point, girls were purchasing American Dolls which looked like them and had interesting stories—and purchased clothing, accessories and books. Competition recently has been online games.
We walked through the small store with neatly arranged merchandise and I saw dolls, outfits, books beautifully displayed on shelves at various heights. We then sat in the training area where many large clear bins containing outfits and components awaiting sorting were neatly stacked. Lesli and Marjorie explained that one important aspect of the training has been helping the trainees develop perspective taking, something which is difficult for people with autism. “I know this may appeal to you, but will an 8 year old want to buy this?” Similarly, a trainee may have a hard time understanding that a customer may want to buy a doll without the necklace (which is “supposed” to be with the set)—this is part of the training in perspective taking. Similarly, it is often a challenge for trainees to “shift,” and to do tasks that were not on their assignment sheet – because priorities can change unexpectedly in a business It’s hard to anticipate a task which needs to be done.
Trainees use Chromebooks with a shared drive where everyone has access to the same information and tools. Trainees use a spreadsheet to log and track the customer “wish list”, from across the country where doll collectors are looking for specific dolls and accessories. The trainees need to check the wish list and they then work on calling or emailing the customer when an item they want becomes available.
They also conduct online research for the original components of a doll outfit or accessory that is no longer available from American Girl to determine if they have the complete set to prepare for resale. They use guidelines to determine the price to sell the item at but then need to learn how to make decisions when the guideline does not apply. They input this data into a spreadsheet called the inventory management tool – an exercise in data entry, accuracy, and quality. Some items they input are factual and some requiring inferencing, which can be more difficult. An important area trainees are working on is in learning the nuances of phone calls. They are learning to make outbound calls, where they start the conversation. One area which can be challenging is in not knowing what the customer may ask i.e. item costs and shipping costs. In short, it is difficult when the conversation doesn’t follow a script. They are also learning to initiate phone calls to customers whose wish list item is now available.
Reasons for Starting the Program:
Marjorie notes that 80% of adults with autism are not in the workforce and she had her daughter, Isabelle (Izzie), who she describes as “in the ‘gray area’, in mind when she created the program. She notes, “We are a training program and incubator—we are not an employer.” Marjorie points out that Izzie’s teachers did not believe she would be able to pass the NY Regents Exam for a high school diploma but Marjorie didn’t want Isabelle to be assigned to a life skills program.. She wanted Izzie to be in an environment with high expectations, something she didn’t find in the internships she was assigned to as part of her IEP in high school. “She further notes that they didn’t give the interns transferable skills. Marjorie’s starting point was Izsies passion for American Girl dolls. Isabelle’s declared career goal it to work at American Girl store. “When I thought of all that she should learn, I considered resale. There are many tasks to do in a resale business that are transferable to other work environments. . g With American Girl merchandise there is enough to motive someone like my daughter to learn the skills she really needs – primarily appropriate social interactions.” At Girl Again, trainees learn data entry and importance of accuracy. They also learn to do things they don’t necessarily enjoy – because it is work. They learn to accept and act upon critical feedback. They also learn how to talk to managers, co-workers and customers – each differently.
Brief description of business from website):
Yes She Can (job skills program) At Girl Again (A Resale Boutique for American Girl Dolls) Yes She Can’s job skills program is delivered at Girl Again, a resale boutique for American Girl dolls and all their accessories and books. Visit us in White Plains New York. We sell dolls, but we’re not in the doll business, we are in the job skills development business. Yet, we operate Girl Again just like any other business – we meet customer needs efficiently and effectively. We have built a business around a special interest: American Girl dolls. Our customers include first time buyers as well as long time collectors. While most are girls between 7 and 10, our customers include boys and men as well as teen girls and women. We embrace our diverse customers. And our customers appreciate our trainees. While most typical girls lose interest in their dolls by the time they reach middle school, girls with autism do not experience the social pressure to put their dolls away. Some of our trainees still have a great passion as well as a developed expertise in their American Girl doll collection. This expertise has a market value. And it can be used as a platform to develop other business skills that can be transferred to jobs in the competitive work environment. While not all trainees have an affinity for AG, they all learn from all the tasks that are involved in running the business. Pat Rowan coaching trainees: Our goal is to enable the young women to increase their potential to get and keep a job where they can shine. Resale Value: The advantage of the resale business is that there are many and varied business tasks, and employees can either specialize in what they like best or choose to expand their skills. Micro-tasks include:
-sorting through donated clothes and created complete outfits (skirt, shirt, jacket, shoes, socks for example); -pricing products competitively by researching and comparing prices on eBay; -cleaning dolls; -researching the doll’s original hair style and styling the doll hair; -price tagging the merchandise; -taking photos for marketing; -posting content on digital platforms;
managing and tracking inventory, book keeping, organizing and hosting events and parties, and more. Girl Again is a first-of-a-kind incubator and laboratory where we nurture young women at work without the pressure of a for-profit business. We are applying the most effective training techniques that conventional employers as well as autism employment entrepreneurs can use as they begin to hire people on the autism spectrum. Yes She Can focuses on vocational skills that are challenging to persons on the spectrum. And, because we operate within an authentic business, trainees gain real work experience while learning and practicing a range of skills needed in the world of work. WHAT WE DO: Yes She Can has developed an intensive learning and training experience within an authentic business setting that has proven successful in helping young women (ages 18-28) gain the skills necessary to be successful at work. Teaching methods are used to address the challenges associated with autism. Coaching is provided by clinical professionals with a focus on improving social, emotional and communication skills for the workplace. OUTCOMES: Quarterly assessments enable our monitoring of the progress each trainee makes. We then adjust our interventions to help trainees move towards their personalized goals. Program outcomes include a rise in employment, an increase in participants’ independent functioning in the community, and positive self-regard.
Lessons Learned/Observations:
Be attuned to overall trends. Doll (and toy) sales have declined in an age of computers and video games.
Find a business where the work is engaging and skills learned are transferable.
Use the training (in sorting, merchandising, sales, etc) to also train for perspective taking—how would the display appeal to customers of different ages?
A real challenge for some of the workers with disabilities is anxiety and frustration. Similarly, many have a difficult time doing things not written on their assignment sheet. Flexibility is tough.
Understanding the concept of TIME is often difficult for workers (i.e understanding her new glasses will arrive “maybe Thursday”)
Learning all aspects of initiating and sustaining a phone conversation can be challenging as it deviates from a script (i.e. when customers ask questions about item or shipping costs)
There is a great deal of “unlearning special education” to be done as part of the training. Trainees need to be taught “Don’t make me do your thinking.” Some things which could be taught in school but which
usually aren’t include: risk taking, making a recommendation, supporting your reasoning and turning to your peer for input/consultation.
Important tasks and skills include learning thoroughness (“what is good enough?” –is it worth it to spend 30 minutes picking lint off of an outfit?), efficiency (as above with the lint example—if we sell the item for $10, is it worth spending a few hours preparing an item for sale?), and not taking it personally (i.e. if manager questions efficiency)
Use various assessment tools and use them regularly (including self-assessment, employer assessment and parent assessment). -there are free legal services for nonprofits in NY, NJ and CT—Pro Bono Partnership: https://www.probonopartner.org/.
SOUL CAFÉ (and Friendship Circle/Farber Center/Art Studio) 5586 Drake Rd. West Bloomfield Township, MI 48322 248-788-7400 http://www.friendshipcircle.org/soul/cafe/ info@fcsoulcafe.com Directors/founders: Rabbi Levi and Bassie Shemtov
“A Café serving breakfast and lunch (and Sunday dinner) with a training program in food services for people with disabilities. Job training areas include “front of house” work (barista and bussing) and kitchen work). Also, art studio where artists with disabilities create and sell art. Established in April, 2016, 24 trainees to date have come through program. Up to 7 people with disabilities work in café on a given day, 12 are currently in the training program, and four to date have been hired by Epicurean, the parent food service company”
The Visit/History of the Program:
I arrived to the suburban Detroit café by cab and observed the building and program first from the outside, then from the café during breakfast. As the café is located in the suburbs, in a small shopping center, there is no foot traffic; people would not discover the Soul Café by accident—they come here intentionally.
On the morning of my visit, there was a large group of people eating in the restaurant for both breakfast and lunch. Some customers appeared to be dining with friends while others conducting business meetings. There is an open, airy feel in this well-lit restaurant. Visitors are encouraged to visit the art gallery as well and many commented about the quality and variety of art in the “Location, Location, Location” exhibit in the gallery.
Rabbi Levi Shemtov met me for breakfast and explained the history and evolution of the Friendship Circle. When he and wife, Bassie, arrived in Detroit in 1994 to start their “shlichus” (service as Chabad emissaries), they started by meeting the needs of one person with mental health issues. When the 27-year-old sadly died of a drug overdose, his parents donated funds for a future Friendship House, which would serve as a “small house with a rabbi, to meet the needs of people who were isolated and needed friends.” It would be “a soul.” The Shemtovs met with heads of all area Jewish social service agencies and synagogues to begin to identify community needs. They called it “Friendship Circle;” they could not call it “Friendship House” since they did not yet have a house.
In their assessment of communal needs, The Shemtovs began asking, “Who needs friend?” They began by serving people who were in prisons (Bassie notes also people with crack addiction). The Shemtovs began hearing that people with special needs and their families were expressing feelings of isolation and a need of friends. A Conservative rabbi of a shul “going out of business” (in Levonia, MI) noted the need for tutoring for some children in his community. The Shemtovs found teen volunteers who they drove to Levonia for the tutoring. The Shemtovs observed that the teens were getting a lot out of it (In addition, reports Levi, “Bassie was great at motivating teenagers!”), so the ones who were doing the tutoring were recruited to help volunteer with another group of children with special needs. The Shemtovs sent a letter to all families of children with special needs and got four responses. They started bringing teens to these homes and started growing “slowly slowly.” Friendship Circle was therefore born in 1994 and spread to Montreal, Columbus, OH, Livingston, NJ and within five years, spread to other cities.
Families in Detroit continued turning to Friendship Circle to help address the needs of their children as they got older and graduated from high school. The Shemtovs traveled the country to learn of models of ideal settings for working with young adults with disabilities. They noted success in two areas—cafes and art. They decided to create Soul Café and Art Studio. While working on setting up the program (the program is private pay by families of trainees and artists, and also receives funding from many private donors), the Shemtovs partnered with Epicurean/Milk and Honey to begin a weekly challah baking program out of the local JCC. Some of these trainees became the first cohort at the Soul Café.
In an interview with Bassie Shemtov, co-founder of the Friendship Circle, she spoke of “the relationship between the teens and adults who felt fulfilled as they helped make the world a better place.” She points out that, in 1976, the Rebbe began using the term “exceptional” instead of “handicapped,” noting that each person has exceptional abilities.
Bassie offers additional information on the history of the Soul Café and Studio, which came about five years ago when families started speaking of “falling off cliff,” referring to what happens when people with disabilities graduate from high school and have few work opportunities (In Michigan, unlike most states, students can stay in school until age 26). “The parents begged us. Their children were getting depressed, eating, and playing video games. So we started a small café.” Bassie had flown around the country in search of models. “We decided we have the power. The Michigan community is amazing. A $100,000 project turned in to $5 million project. We gutted the building. When it was finished, we held a shower for the building 450 women showed up. People were beyond excited with the concept.”
To date, there have been five graduates of the vocational training program who now work in the community, in other restaurants. “In the artist’s studio,” notes Bassie, “the artists work from 10-3 to produce and sell their art. They get 40% of what they sell of their fine art and 10% other products. People like Felicia Bowers (an artist who draws with her eye movements—see article below) may be able to make a real living with her art.” Bassie again quotes the Rebbe, who in 1976 said, “If you have a challenge, you have extra abilities in other areas.” She feels this is very obvious now. She is very excited to have Anthony Marellini on board. He joined as art studio manager five months ago. “He had no experience with special needs—he has a knack to understand people, truly understands artists.”
The Detroit Friendship Circle serves non –Jewish as well as Jewish clients. “If you have the ability to help more, it is a Kiddush HaShem,” (a sanctification of God’s name) the Rebbe would say. It has done a lot for the overall Jewish community, helping everybody and doing it together.”
Kim Kaplan, supervisor of trainees for the café, and support person for the art studio, had been working with Friendship Circle for four years when they started the challah-baking (one day a week) and selling program. She notes that Alexa, David and Armand, three trainees currently at the program, started in the challah program and continued working in the café, which started in April, 2016. She calculates 12 total trainees in the program and 7 working at any given time. Some have completed their training and are paid staff; some are “in the trial phase.”). Three didn’t complete program and three currently work in the artist studio. She estimates that twenty have gone through program to date, and four are hired and employed here or at Epicurean (another location). Families pay for the training program and trainees receive at least minimum wage, as required by law. Kim described in detail the process of assessing the trainees.
Kim begins with an informal assessment of whether or not participants can read, understand such basic words and concepts like “prioritizing,” and work a four-hour day. All training is very individualized. Some trainees may work on making positive statements like “thanks for telling me” instead of saying “what?” Some trainees are working on behavioral issues. Kim sees her role as “conductor” of the work force (watching and letting trainees them know what needs to be done).
She stresses that communication with families is important as well. In addition, a goal of the program is to find more places of employment in the community (i.e. with a local florist). There are three in- house coaches who are employees of the restaurant—this is part of the peer model which the Shemtovs are proud to report they introduced here. The co-workers receive an additional stipend to work with the trainees “so they are invested”. Kim explains that some workers are assessed as: emerging, some assistance, minimal assistance, or independent. The goal is to reach the level of “independent.” Kim notes that the social piece, learned and fostered in the café, is very important. It includes: getting along with others, following instructions in the correct order (listening to all of the steps first), work speed, communicating with the supervisor when a task is completed, and asking for further instructions. “Learning soft skills are very important.” Jobs currently include washing dishes, food prep, and “bussers” (bussing tables), with jobs taking place in all three areas of the restaurant—front of the house, middle, and back.
Kaplan reports that the driver for setting up the café program was a donor, who wanted them to move from challah baking only to café. Families said, “What happens next?” as their adult children were sitting at home?”
Shalom Shomer, the general manager of the kosher part of Milk and Honey/Epicurean, notes that his relationship with Friendship Circle started 4 years ago with a challah baking project, where “people showed they can learn skills.” After one year, it was suggested that they partner to start a restaurant, which opened 2-1/2 years ago. This is how Soul Café got started. “Our company believes in “the do good” and wanted to fill a community need. The business is not profitable as of yet but it is getting better.”
Shomer points out some issues unique to running a training program for people with disabilities. “Training needs extra staff and there are extra costs—there is breakage, we need to pay minimum wage according to state law, and the amount of time staff spends on the training is time consuming.” In addition to serving as an important training ground, it fills an important need in the community. (food prep, bussers). We try to find strengths quickly then work with our trainees on being versatile. Toward that end, he works on “cross training”—prep cooks learn to work in the dish put. This will allow them to be more successful in the future.
Nora Barron a volunteer and psychotherapist worked for 30 years, is very involved in the art community. She has been working with one young man for two years in the art studio to help him get comfortable with colors and art work in general. His socialization and vocabulary has expanded a great deal through his work in the artist’s studio.
Rabbi Levi brings our meeting to a close by further explaining where the idea for the café and art studio came from. “We looked across the country at different ideas—we saw cafes as training place to launch vocational skills, and we saw art studios (i.e. in Boston and Oakland and mid-Michigan). We asked people at both art studios and cafes what people would have done differently. We decided to use peer support and coaching over job coaches, which was our original concept. We also learned the importance of consistently serving good food. “People would come once or twice to be nice but that’s it—unless the food is good!”
People interviewed:
-Bassie and Rabbi Levi Shemtov-founders -Kim Kaplan-director of training/Soul Café Supervisor of Trainees -Shalom Shomer-GM (kosher part of Milk and Honey/Epicurean) -Nora Barron-volunteer -Logan-trainee with disabilities -Anthony Marellini-art director
Brief Description (from Website):
Upon graduation from Friendship Circle programming, many adults with challenges find themselves socially isolated – without an outlet or employment. The Farber Center is home to the Dresner Foundation Soul Studio and Soul Cafe, which provide a loving and inclusive environment for artistic self-expression, vocational training, and employment opportunities, hosting and serving.
The Soul Café provides a mouthwatering kosher menu featuring gourmet soups, salads, sandwiches pizzas, pastas and more in a warm and relaxed environment.
Complete with a community table, fireplace and outdoor dining the Soul Cafe provides an excellent opportunity to meet friends, get some work done or grab a quick bite.
The cafe is part of Friendship Circle’s Soul Projects, which focuses on providing vocational opportunities to adults with special needs. The cafe teaches adults with special needs the skills of food prep, cooking.
Observations/Lessons Learned:
-There are extra costs associated with running a restaurant which is staffed by young adults with disabilities, including: additional staff time devoted to training the trainees; salaries (state law requires paying minimum wage), extra breakage (glasses, plates, etc.).
-Additional benefits of a restaurant where trainees and employees have disabilities include: reliability and consistency of workers who also “bring out the best” in the typical workers
-Working in a café/restaurant helps with both the job skills piece (i.e. learning to follow steps in the correct order) and with the social piece (getting along with others—both fellow employees and customers).
-Impetus for program’s founding: Families said, “What happens next? We have our adult children sitting at home?”
-Find strengths quickly then also work on cross training (prep cooks learn how to work dish pit, for example)
-Manager’s approach and attitude to all workers: “This is an opportunity to help and give back to society and to people who are different. If you are going to be here, you need to have a smile on your face and realize that everyone here…this is their situation and we are going to make the best of it.”
-Have a great restaurant which happens to be kosher and stick to the mission! – “Serve good food consistently—people would come once or twice to be nice but that’s it—unless the food is good.”
-Do good research and learn from others: they looked across country at different ideas and discovered both cafes and art studios.
Life Town and Friendship Circle Building Tour:
My visit to Detroit (Soul Café and Studio) concluded with a visit to the Friendship Circle’s home and Life Town, approximately 2 miles from the café and art studio. Life Town serves to train people with disabilities to navigate and gain experience is such real life situations as a bank (Huntington Bank), grocery store, doctor and dentists’ office and crosswalks and traffic signs. The Friendship Circle building also contains a Snoezelen (sensory) room, a water room, art room, sand room, gross motor room, a dance and music room and a large indoor gym.
This is my account of the visit, as reported in Chabad.org—it mainly focuses on artist, Felicia Bowers:
Art Through Felicia’s Eyes: Friendship Circle Directors Turn to Michigan Suburb Where it All Started. WEST BLOOMFIELD, Mich.—Felicia Bowers’ smile was the size of Lake Michigan when she received the latest update on the number of Facebook viewers who have watched the “Art Through Felicia’s Eyes” video. “You just broke 1 million!” exclaimed Bassie Shemtov, co-founder and director (with her husband, Rabbi Levi) of Friendship Circle. Within a few hours, the number of viewers had already jumped to 1.2 million.
The 27-year-old Detroit resident and her art have been receiving a great deal of attention, partly due to her portrait, “The Dancer”—depicting a very active dancer in a wheelchair—which sold for $14,500 as part of a recent evening event that raised more than $100,000 for the Friendship Circle.
Bowers is intelligent, articulate, persistent and has a great sense of humor. She also has cerebral palsy, is non-verbal, uses a wheelchair at all times, and communicates—and draws—with assistive technology, a Tobii Dynavox tablet with Eyegaze eye-tracking software.
The artist has many followers and admirers in the Detroit area, across the United States and online. Using her eye-tracking equipment, she recently spoke with Chabad.org at Friendship Circle’s Farber Center in West Bloomfield Township, Mich.—and shared her interest in art, how she uses her eyes to communicate and create art, her involvement with Friendship Circle, and her advice for other artists with and without disabilities.
We met in an art room, surrounded by works created by Felicia Bowers and other artists with disabilities at the Dresner Foundation’s Soul Studio. Her mother, Tina Bowers, and Friendship Circle of Michigan’s special-projects coordinator, Jamie Reedholm, joined in the conversation.
The Interview:
Q: Tell me a little bit about yourself. How old are you? Where do you live? Who are some important people in your family and circle of friends? Felicia: I am 27 years old. I live with my mom, dad and my dog, Max. He is a Shiatzu. He comes here sometimes and sits on my lap!
Q: How and when did you hear about Friendship Circle? What are some of the things you do here? Felicia: I was watching the news and saw Lillia.
Jamie Reedholm: From the beginning of Friendship Circle, we had a young woman named Lillia who, like Felicia, was in a wheelchair. They had a lot in common, but we learned that afterwards. We were able to get Lillia her own apartment. And with the generosity of the people in our community, it was fully accessible and totally hers. The news came and did a story about it. That’s how Felicia and her family learned about Friendship Circle. Sadly, Lillia passed away.
Q: Can you explain how you are communicating with me right now? Felicia: I use my eyes to say what I want. There is a camera in the bottom of my device. It tracks my eyes, and when I look at a particular square, selects it. It is a type of Dynavox, a Tobii Dynavox.
Tina Bowers: It can strain your eyes. She is very strong. She had help programming each page—each square has a sentence underneath—she knows what is under each square. She knows where everything is, where she needs to go. She does a lot of spelling. She goes to the dictionary. She looks for a word.
Felicia: My boyfriend, John Wirth, programmed my Tobii.
Q: What are some of the things you do when you come to Friendship Circle? Felicia: I went shopping and bowling and swimming. I met new friends.
Jamie: The first program she was involved in when she came to Friendship Circle is called “Teen Trips.” Every Sunday, we take teens and young adults on trips.
Q: When did you start with the art part of the program? Felicia: 2016
Q: How did you discover that you were interested in art? Felicia: I have always enjoyed art. I remember the first time I created art in middle school. It was the first time I felt free from cerebral palsy and in control of my body.
Q: What did you do? What was the project when you had the moment when you felt so free? Tina prompts Felicia: Do you remember what you were drawing? Were you painting? Painting with your foot? You were painting with your foot. You had different colors, with a paintbrush taped to your foot. She colored with her hands, but we had to tape crayons on to her hands and we had to mount the paper a certain way to the table for her to color. When she was about 2 or 3 years old, she was walking in the baby walker. I had taped crayons onto her hands, and she walked over to the wall and I had told her not to color on the wall, and she colored on the walls!
Q: So she was very typical … big surprise … a defiant 2-year-old … Tina: Her dad saw it and said, “No!” so we got a piece of plywood and leaned it against the kitchen cabinet and stuck paper on it, and she used to draw while walking over there. It is funny—while in baby-walker upright, she would always go backwards because she didn’t have good support of her body. I was talking to my mom one day and saying, “I wish she could walk forward.” Next minute—she came out from the kitchen, into the living room, walking forward. She leaned against the tray and was walking forward. That is how she was coloring—she would support herself on the tray of the baby-walker, and she would go over and color on the board—that’s why her dad set it up there so she could get to the paper, leaning against it and just color.
Q: (For Tina): You saw she had this interest from an early age, that there was this interest in art, something inside … ? Tina: Yes. She was drawing lines, always telling me what colors she wanted. She was doing color selections. That’s when she was a baby. I didn’t know it was going to go anywhere because we didn’t know how much her body could do. As she got older, it seems she went from elementary to junior high, and when she got the communication box, she was using a switch. We didn’t have the Eyegaze at that time. But she still had a unit where if she wanted something, she would go to each block, and when she wanted that square, she clicked the clicker—with your foot, right?
Q: I get the feeling the artist was always inside and with each technology (brush on foot, crayons on finger, etc.) it became … Tina: She is still growing, and doing more and more and more. And now look what she is doing with lines, with her eyes.
Q: What is your favorite form of art? Is it line drawings, painting, ceramics … Tina to Felicia: Is it the line drawing? You should put that (the response) in there (in the Dynavox).
Tina: It refreshes her memory for what she wants to say … when she hasn’t talked all day, she is trying to figure out what to say … It has always been inside of her. It’s just now she is trying to get it all out and it is really very frustrating for her to get her thoughts on the screen, to type all the sentences out. It has been very frustrating all these years. She has been trying to tell us so much all these years. Now that she has started Soul Center, she has gotten stronger and is learning a lot more—not just drawing, but talking.
Jamie: The social aspect.
Tina: She needed all this. She had some at school, but it is stronger here. And since she has been with John, she has gotten stronger. It is amazing. Works on display at the Dresner Soul Studio, a unique vocational training program, studio and gallery where artists with disabilities work daily from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Their work is then sold in the gallery.
Q: What are some of the themes in your art and why? Things or ideas which keep coming up? That you like to draw? Felicia: My favorite art piece is to make art which reminds me of the people I love.
Q: Can you give me an example? Something you draw that reminds you of people you love? Felicia: (Staring at the wall across from her, at her self-portrait of her and John) (Everyone laughs)
Q: Where did you get the idea of the dancer? Do you like to dance? Felicia: I was little and used to go to Eagle’s Club.
Tina: They used to have a dance; you could take your family and dance. My sister would push her around in her wheelchair and dance with her, twirl her around. That’s what brought that out. That’s what she’s feeling when she sees a dancer. The painting is an actual dancer in a wheelchair dance company in L.A.
Q: What are you working on now? Felicia: I am drawing Ellen!
Tina: Television host Ellen DeGeneres.
Q: I know you guys aren’t Jewish. What is it like to be included in a Jewish program? Felicia: We appreciate being in the program.
Tina: She really appreciates everything they are doing. She is growing so much more with her communication box, learning more, talking more and getting more words out there. This has opened doors even more.
Q: What is your advice/message for other artists—with and without disabilities? Felicia: Never give up!
Q: What do you think our society has to keep doing to be more welcoming and inclusive and better for people with disabilities? Felicia: Be caring and understanding.
Q: Last question. Can you describe the night when your “Dancer” portrait was sold? What was that like? How did you feel? Felicia: Wow.
Artists and Teachers Express Hope for the Future
While Felicia and her art continue to receive worldwide attention and praise, she is one of a number of talented artists and teachers at the Dresner Soul Studio, a unique vocational training program, studio and gallery where artists work daily from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Their work is then sold in the gallery.
On the day of my visit, Rollie King of Minneapolis was walking around the gallery. “I really love art, and I’m beyond amazed. This stuff is really great!” She pointed out some of her favorite pieces. “This clock is outstanding!” She is particularly proud of her nephew, Kevin Shink, an artist in his mid-50’s, and pointed out his large three-dimensional creation depicting the city of Detroit.
While Bassie Shemtov is proud of all of the artists, there is particular pride in Felicia Bowers. “Felicia will be able to make a real living, especially as her story is getting out there and as she creates more work, which is something that nobody thought was possible.”
Shemtov says that much of the studio’s success can be attributed to the dedication and creativity of Anthony Marcellini, programs and exhibitions manager at the Soul Studio. “Anthony is so talented. He had no experience working with people with special needs before joining us here,” says Shemtov. “Yet he has a knack of understanding people and truly respects and loves the artists.”
Marcellini notes the unique opportunities at Soul Studio, “For me, what has been most revealing about working with someone like Felicia is discovering her potential. Because cerebral palsy limits normal methods of communication, many people would write her off as non-verbal and perhaps even low functioning. But actually, she is very smart and has enormous verbal and creative potential. She simply needs the right tools to work around her specific situation. She needs challenges and encouragement to create, newer, different and better work along the way. This is actually the same with every artist in our program, though each person’s specific needs and drives are different.”
Marcellini has been instrumental in helping Felicia continue to find ways to be her best as an artist. Felicia has evolved from painting with her feet and using crayons attached to her fingers, to carefully sketching with her Dynavox. Marcellini explains the technical aspects of Felicia’s drawings.
“Felicia draws using a Tobii Dynavox tablet with Eyegaze eye tracking software. Because of Felicia’s cerebral palsy she is unable to use her arms and legs to the precision she would like to make art. So she has learned how use eye tracking software, to move a cursor across the computer screen and make lines. Every time she turns her eye towards the screen it is like she is clicking the button on the mouse, or like putting pencil to paper, and when she moves her eye away it unclicks, like lifting the pencil off the paper. This, as you might imagine, takes tremendous precision and concentration to operate. Felicia has been using this software and similar software for quite some time, and is able to do this simply because she is very precise, hardworking and talented at it. We are now trying to get her to loosen up and be a little freer with it, to explore new and freer ways of expressing herself. We are also trying to bring in some of the methods she used in the past, like painting with her foot or head, to add some expression to the drawings.”
Marcellini loves his work at the Soul Studio. “What is so exciting about this place is that it is an art studio first, where participants come to the studio curious, enthusiastic and driven. They are met by an equally curious, enthusiastic and driven staff of practicing artists and designers, whose sole aim is to propel their creative ideas into new spheres by providing tools to sidestep or surmount their disabilities. It is a place of constant surprises that has totally shifted my perspective, on education, service and ability. Here art serves as a primary form of communication when common forms are less accessible.”
Nicole Kahan began volunteering at the Friendship Circle when she was in seventh grade and continued to work here through high school. She sees tremendous benefit in Friendship Circle for both participants and for the community. “It benefits the overall community because it normalizes people with disabilities and shows the community that we can all be friends. It benefits its volunteers because it allows people to interact with others they wouldn’t normally interact with. It also helps you gain a lot of leadership experience as well as normalizing these interactions. It creates opportunities for teens.”
Kahan is one of the many admiring members of the Detroit community who appear in the viral “Felicia’s Eyes” video. “When I first saw Felicia’s artwork, I truly was speechless. She had the ability to create something so incredible in such a different way.”
Name of contact/founders: Walter and Judy Gloshinski
“Smiling With Hope Pizzeria is a pizza store modeled on the small family pizzerias/Italian cafes Walter grew up with. Walter’s mother and her family were great cooks from Italy and he became fascinated with their dishes as a young child. His passion for NY pizza is going on 60 years! For 22 years Walter created award winning pizzeria/bakery businesses in CA/TX/OH public schools that trained students with disabilities for competitive work. Their mission continues with the Smiling with Hope Pizzeria which trains and employs people with developmental disabilities.”
Smiling with Hope is in the Yelp top 100 restaurants in the USA, was recently named the best pizza in Nevada by TIME and MONEY magazines and MSN. They were also recently called “the greatest little pizzeria in America” by Paulie Gee, owner of Paulie Gee’s Pizza Brooklyn.
The Visit:
I was greeted by Josh, a worker with disabilities who said, “Welcome to Smiling with Hope Pizza—would you like a menu?” A steady flow of customers came in during my visit at lunch time and a doctor in scrubs, with his father and two children sat at a table and shared their experience. Walter and Judy, the owners, shared their fascinating story of how and why these “free spirits” (he used the word “vagabonds with no money”) started a pizza store where people with disabilities work and families with children of all ages with disabilities feel free to dine—even if their children are “messy” or have issues in the pizza store. The two spoke to me while doing prep work, answering phone orders, and serving customers. Much of Walter’s very direct wording is captured below—he has very strong feelings about “the system” and how it often fails people with disabilities.
Walter’s Extremely Interesting Journey and Reason for Starting the Business:
Walter notes that he grew up in South Orange, NJ and was a “terrible student with no interest in academics,” despite his father being a Wharton (U Penn business school) graduate. “My father was a VP of United Trust down on Wall Street for 30 years but if you met him, you’d think he was a plumber. He just wanted to be left alone so he never taught us anything about the future, so I came out of the gate as a musician and played music all over the world…”
Walter has many talents and interests. He is a musician who sings, and mainly plays guitar and harmonica. As he reflects on what got him interested in the field of disabilities, he identifies two things: He describes having a cousin with Down Syndrome who was ten years older than him. “He was older than me but seemed younger. It confused me. It bothered me.” He notes, “Throughout my life, I kept getting at cross roads and intersections with people with special needs.” In addition, looking back on a childhood experience during a parade, he remembers a “guy with a band uniform with a bass drum, cymbals and trumpet on the back walking on the sidewalk making his own music—and it was clear he had some type of special need. And I thought to myself, oh, what is that?… It always attracted me for unknown reasons. Now, I know the reasons. These people can’t navigate the system. They have no abstract thinking which is needed to make decisions. They need people like us to help them. If not, they will make wrong decisions.”
In the late 80’s and early 90’s, Walter and band were based in Austin, TX. It was during that time that he decided to enter the field of special education, first by serving as an aide in a high school self-contained classroom for students with cognitive disabilities.
“That inspired me—after two and a half years, I decided I needed to go to college, because I had a goal.” He was in his 30s when he decided to begin college at Texas State University, where he studied special education. After graduating, Walter moved to California, since this is where he had his wife had spent some time in the early 80s.
“I got in the self-contained classroom, I saw their abilities (he is referring to their challenges) and that they will never compete in any sort of academic based job.” He decided he wanted his students to work. “I used my culinary skills which I had been around all my life–my mother and her family came from Italy. Even when I was playing music, I knew if I needed money, I could work in food service or a bakery or something—it pays more than digging ditches in the hot summer. When I hit the schools, I used my culinary skills to create products that were better than anything that was available in the area. I created a functional, life curriculum. I finagled a home economics room and we made and sold food at school!” Once you have a business, it opens up everything you need to succeed in life.”
Walter’s ultimate decision to open the pizza store in Reno was the result of seeing what he describes as a familiar pattern in special education programs in several states. “After 10 years in California, they decided these kids are going to college–even though they can’t do six plus six, so we retreated. It is like saying this oil can (pointing to a can of oil in his restaurant) can go to college if you teach it right—it is a big sham because society is not willing to face the fact that people with moderate to severe cognitive disabilities will never compete with non-disabled people in academic occupations.”
Walter didn’t think this made sense and moved to Ohio where he could be closer to his family. “All of my moves were based on my programs getting world-wide recognition—and getting ruined by the schools. It is denial in our society. Everything, every illness (cold, broken leg, etc.) has a time frame for healing in our culture—if we don’t have a time frame, we just wash our hands of it and make believe it is not there.”
Walter reports that he found a school district in Ohio, “all guided by the universe, God, whatever you want to call it—I follow my heart, it led us to this little town in Ohio.” The school district was in the process of building a new high school. “I convinced them all to build my self-contained classroom for students with moderate cognitive disabilities as a commercial kitchen so then it would become a real business. And that was the Smiling With Hope Bakery! We served up to 11,000 people a week in a 2,000 square foot commercial kitchen, adjacent to the cafeteria. They basically told me I could run the program but the funding was zero. I didn’t get one dime. So I had to create everything. When I left, we were earning more than the band, the music and the athletics put together—we were the top earners. We ran it with 15 students—the most behavior challenged students and the most behavior challenged parents!”
Walter’s successful experience in Ohio included partnering with Bon Apetit food, which served the food at Denison University. His group created a healthy cookie, in conjunction with the Amish, which used organic wheat flours, and was in accordance in with that state’s wellness law. “That’s where we sold tons—frozen cookies public schools could heat up and I finagled this space to be a business.”
I was able to do this for 9 years but a new direction was presented at the beginning of my 10th year. The Smiling With Hope Bakery was going to be discontinued and academic remediation was the new course. “That was in August at the start of the school year. I refused to be a babysitter and we bought a house in Reno. When the mortgage was approved in October (four years ago). We packed and moved!”
I started my teaching career in Texas with gang kids with learning disabilities. I began cooking with them. Problems decreased and attendance increased. This was my first bump with the system. No Child Left Behind was created and it was decided they were going to go to college yet they couldn’t pass a 3rd grade test. So we moved to California and I retreated to a self-contained class for students with moderate cognitive disabilities—until school officials decided they were going to college and they couldn’t pass a 3rd grade test. Then we retreated to a self-contained in Ohio and started the Smiling With Hope Bakery, until school officials said they were going to do academics and go to junior college. The only step I could take was to stay self-contained (severely disabled) and just do tube feeding, etc—they are 24/7 care and it was not my calling. I ran out of options. In November, 2015, I decided to quit my 23 year fight with public schools and we moved to Reno and opened Smiling With Hope Pizza in January, 2016. Now free to create our own universe of success for people with disabilities.”
Walter further criticizes the lack of perseverance and approach on the part of the school system. “You know what they did? One of our employees, Larry, (self contained classroom) came in the pizzeria and didn’t know what we were about—and the parents say all Larry talks about in their IEP meeting is working with us. The teacher thought it was volunteer work. I said no He is making $15 to $18 an hour working here and we want to hire Larry as the dishwasher every night. They say, ‘We just found Larry a job for $10 an hour ten hours a week at Diller’s Warehouse and that’s going to be a better future for him. I said, lady, get out of here—you are whacked!’ Same—with our other boy, Tyson who is high functioning MR and also in Larry’s class. He greets, mops, cleans—he worked with us almost whole time we were here and wanted to hire him 35 hours a week. His mother is cognitively delayed and the school officials convinced them our pizzeria wasn’t letting him reach his potential so they got him another job at Dillard’s Warehouse, ten hours a week, $10 an hour—well, he doesn’t work there anymore. Here, we would have him for life, make connections with the community so when we retire he would have lots of contacts for work. He left our job which would have paid him $18 and hour for 35 hours a week, supported, for that job. People with cognitive disabilities self-destruct all the time without continual professional support because the adult world is so complicated for them to navigate. All these teachers want to do is put on the end of year report they found two people jobs and could care less about these people. What other explanation is there for such decisions?
“The most frustrating thing is that we are not dealing with oil cans but with souls. We need to find the things they can do and build programs around this to maximize success and quality of life as adults, since they are identified at 3, and schools have them 18 years, this can happen. But sadly schools mostly babysit them! Today they come to me with no vocational skills, poor hygiene… I look at the Cognitively Impaired population from a data perspective. I look at what has worked historically and what has not worked. Academic training does not work. Parental denial is often very strong and schools accommodate this. Unfortunately the world does not create a meaningful life for its citizens. Each individual has to create this and since they are not able to compete with non disabled people for academic jobs most wallow in nothingness. When the family can no longer care for them they end up in group homes which often are in the worst part of towns and the caregivers are marginal at best.
Walter’s successful experience in Ohio included partnering with Bon Apetit food, which served the food at Denison University. His group created a healthy cookie, in conjunction with the Amish, which used organic flours, and was in accordance in with that state’s wellness law. “That’s where we sold tons—frozen cookies they could heat up—and it was all created in my commercial kitchen classroom space—I finagled this space to be a business.” It was then that Walter experienced the same pattern. Just after NBC News correspondent, Maria Shriver (her mother, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, was a sister of John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, and Ted Kennedy) did a news story on the program, “they said things were changing.” Walter was told there was going to be a shift away from vocational training and back to academics. There would be eight periods of academics and only one of vocational training. “I said no!” reports Walter. “That was in August of the school year about to start in October (four years ago). We had bought this house in Reno and moved!”
“That has been my battle for 23 years,” reports Walter, summarizing his career. “Awards and disciplinary actions. I was pushed out of ed—had no place to go because the community always supports what I do but the system doesn’t want to do what it really takes to train these people for maximum independence as adults. Supervisors love to take photos with me but don’t like me because I work around them due to their laziness and stupidity. They would have to work harder to really teach the skills needed for success.”
Despite all of the frustrations and difficult systemic issues Walter has spelled out above, he notes that the business is doing well, he hopes to expand via selling his recipes, procedures, to others, and he recommends that others consider entering into similar businesses if they have a product or service that is in demand and have the skills to train and work with people with disabilities. Some businesses would want to hire people with disabilities but they have no idea of how to work with them thus are afraid to try it. But he offers disclaimers. “I recommend others do it BUT have to be willing to lose money! Capitalism is a solo thing, not a communal way of living! If I can hire Shelly, the college student interviewed below, at $15/hour and she can do 50 tasks at speed 10, why hire Larry the autistic guy who can do only dishes, on speed 3? If we are busy, I can’t ask Larry to come up here and do X (answer phone, cut pizza)-a for profit business person would never hire these people. In capitalism, you want to get the most out of paying the least.” Walter stresses that “it is important to create a product that is better than the other products out there that you are in competition with (if you have a place like this and crappy pizza, they won’t come).” He feels his training and hiring model applies to any business that requires repetitive manual labor and would love to see more pizzerias, landscaping, horticulture, quilt making, etc. Walter would love to see better housing so employees can live closer and he would like to own a van so he can arrange for more efficient transportation. He would even love to offer paid vacations like cruises and trips to Disneyland for his employees. In closing, Walter says, “Like in the Blues Brothers movie, I am on a mission from God!”
Interviews with Employees:
Josh Raymond-Greeter (a person with disabilities): “four months here so far; found job by moving here, found this place on FB, came in one day to see if they were hiring. Lives with my sister after move from California. 38 years old (was working doing piece work at a warehouse before—didn’t pay much, I like this job better. I like the handing out the menus, greeting people, nice people to work with. I take the bus, door to door, which is a lot easier for me compared to city bus. Works 3 days, 6 hours. Other hobbies/activities—Special Olympics, art class; I am not yet friends with the other workers–I am a little shy. I make boxes, do the spices, gives out menus, folds towels, and do dressing prep. Josh has been with us over a year now and works 4 days a week with us. He is walking a mile a day with his walker to and from the pizzeria and has become a familiar face to customers. He is a valued member of our staff and his gift of kindness touches everyone he meets.
Shelley Thomas-employee:
Student at university entering senior year—accounting and film studies (found job on university job listing). 30 hours/week. From Vegas. Most of her contact with people with disabilities is in passing. “I help them out if they need.” (Walter adds, “This is work, a real business—the pizza maker doesn’t interact with the dishwasher unless we need dishes!”
Lessons Learned/Observations/Advice:
–Transportation is an ongoing problem-public transit problem is difficult and the ride share, ACCESS, is unreliable, often causing the client to wait for extended periods of time and arrive early or late.
—The school district should be better preparing clients for the world of work, focusing on hygiene/self-care, job readiness, flexibility to take jobs assigned without complaint, travel training (Uber, etc)
-Don’t decide (or let school district decide) for person and family what is better option and what is meaningful—must decide what is “good work’ for that person (there ae many factors to consider)
-Co-workers on the job site, including those with disabilities are often the best trainers and job coaches (“I make my employees the job coach. Larry knows how to wash dishes. He doesn’t talk, that is fine. They pick it up fairly quickly…”)
-It is very costly and difficult to make a profit in these types of businesses. You need to have a superior product and also recognize that workers are usually not equipped to do more than one or two jobs (whereas a neurotypical person who makes pizzas can pitch in to answer phones or go out on a delivery, a person with a disability can likely do the one job he/she is taught).
