Kindness Cville

Kindness cafe + play opened the doors to its first retail store in july of 2020 with the goal of providing meaningful employment for people with cognitive disabilities. The retail coffee shop, located in the charlottesville ymca, currently employs 7 adults with cognitive disabilities. Students with disabilities tend to be well-supported in our community. However, after the age of 22, adults with disabilities lose the valuable services associated with attending public school. While most typically developing adults move into a life of employment, 70% of adults with cognitive disabilities are unemployed or underemployed. At Kindness we know that employment can be life changing for all adults but especially adults with disabilities. Meaningful employment can provide: a structured daily schedule, connection to peers and a social network, opportunities for learning and personal growth a sense of purpose, and connection to the typically-developing community. The cafe employees have thrived at Kindness cafe + play. While each employee is unique, they have all learned new skills and gained confidence that transfers beyond the coffee shop. Several have now trained to serve in multiple capacities. For example tw was hired as a barista but can also now serve as a cashier. Nf was hired as a server but is now able to make drinks as a barista, too. It is important to us that each staff person shares their goals with the directors and is consistently seeking and meeting new challenges. The staff is proud to serve their community and works hard to create a joyful space for customers to gather. The employees are a social crew who enjoy being at the cafe and also have begun connecting outside of work. Because we are located at the ymca, a few have become members in order to work out after a shift. Theyve also created a friday night pizza event that everyone is invited to join each week. Our staff is thrilled to be a part of team Kindness and they express that gratitude frequently. In addition to receiving a paycheck every two weeks, there is no doubt that they have all benefited from the structure, social connection, opportunities for growth, sense of purpose, and connection to the greater community that Kindness provides. While the stated mission of Kindness is to provide meaningful employment, at Kindness we also strive to have a positive impact on our customers and the larger Kindness community. Through our interactions at the cafe as well as email and social media communications, we are encouraging our community to be more purposeful in thought and action and (of course) share Kindness with friends and strangers alike. We hope to challenge peoples perceptions about adults with cognitive disabilities and encourage more meaningful interactions between adults with and without disabilities. This is slow, generational work but we are confident that people with disabilities can influence the typically- developing community in important ways - as reminders to slow down, live in the present moment and prioritize relationships. We are proud of the work our staff has done at Kindness and we look forward to the opportunities that lie ahead.