Saturday, January 07, 2017

Coffee Houses Are Great Places for the Mentally Unusual to Work


I commend Bitty and Beau's Coffee House in Wilmington, NC, for employing the mentally handicapped.  It is so hard for the mentally unusual - such as those with Down's syndrome, or autism - to find jobs at all.  A coffee house has all kinds of jobs that are honorable and feasible for such persons.

Even more so, a small-town, independent coffee house is an excellent place for unusual people of all kinds to find a place and be part of a community.  My own coffee house, the Hub, has hard-working, friendly, and beloved staff members who are also ambassadors for the respectful treatment of autistic and mentally limited people.  The place wouldn't be the same without them.

And, as the owners of Bitty and Beau's note, the Southern tradition of hospitality is a real help from both customers and employees in making a small-town, independent, Southern coffee house a good home for the mentally unusual.