Just a few weeks ago I started working at a new job at "Brody's Be Cafe". This cafe hires people with special needs and people without special needs as well. My dream has always been to work at a coffee shop but could never find a place where I'd know they would be accepting of my disability and struggles of working and and where I would get the help that I need on the job. Since I started loving coffee and going to all different coffee shops to work on writing I know the atmosphere of a coffee shop so well. Since then, have always hoped and prayed I would one day get my dream job of being a Barista and making coffee for people. Not too long ago, my dream came true. In a small town near me a new coffee shop opened up to hire people with special needs and was only about 5 minutes away from our house. I believe it was God sent.
I'm about 2 weeks into my job at first I was pretty nervous and as any job and because of my anxiety. Just like any new job I was getting used to the people and the new coffee shop. After 2 weeks I'm a lot more comfortable and I'm loving my job and really enjoy making coffee and brightening up people's day by handing them their cup of coffee for the day. Just yesterday on November 12 I got the chance to be interviewed by WGVU news radio. It was for the coffee shop and I got to say what my disability was and talk about jobs and a few other things. There were a few things that got left out that I said and I thought "why not I create my own article about working and disabilities?". There are lots of different people who are working at the coffee shop at Brody's Be Cafe. Some people with visible disabilities, some with invisible disabilities that aren't seen to the human eye (Like mine), or some people who struggle with different life issues like even anxiety. For example, there was a post on Brody's Be Cafe Facebook page that manager Rachel Stadt posted...
"Down syndrome, 22q, autism, fetal alcohol syndrome, broken leg, memory loss........please be mindful, and don’t assume. We all have disabilities. We all have gifts. At Brody’s be Cafe, our employees may or may not look “different” to you. We are all different, but inside we are pretty much the same ".-JeNnY CoLeOwner of Brody’s be Cafe @BrodysBecafe"
In a sense, we all have "disabilities". We all have struggles and limitations. We all struggle with something. It is said...
How do I tell if someone has an invisible disability? Well the one thing is to be observant. Maybe when someone is working pay attention to how someone they are interacting... Are they struggling? Do they have a hard time remembering everything at once? Do they have a hard time staying in communication with a group of people? Or does it look like they are fidgeting and looking around a lot? Maybe they struggle with anxiety.
So the number one thing is to be observant of people even if they look normal. Please don't just assume we are just like everyone else. Everyone has something that they struggle with one way or another.
Check out the article that I was interviewed in for Brody's Be Cafe here...
Check out Brody's Be Cafe Facebook page here- https://www.facebook.com/brodysbe/