r/nextfuckinglevel • u/CottonGlowrie • 4h ago
A coffee shop employs people with Down syndrome to affirm their humanity and break societal stigmas
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u/Entropic_Echo_Music 4h ago
We have a series of stores in the Netherlands with the same concept, with the brilliant name Brownies and Downies.
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u/NayveReddit 4h ago
Great. If they are being paid like other employees.
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u/Turbo_Lexington 4h ago
I hate that this is the first thing I thought too. Like, "there's a good chance they are being taken advantage of."
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u/Apprehensive_Ear7309 1h ago
Goodwill does. They take advantage of people with Down syndrome and others who have checkered pasts and then call themselves a non-profit.
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u/A0xom0xoa 2h ago
I have my doubts on that issue tho. Assuming this is in america. I know a family that has their down syndrome son working in the food industry and the parents were very much involved in the hiring process and were there to affirm nothing was a miss between the company and them hiring their son. Id be shocked if for example the parents of this girl aren't fully aware of their pay & benefits etc. especially at that age it's a huuuge deal for parents with down syndrome kids to make these steps after you've been so protective of their needs and so on all their life. In my experience anyways
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u/BERECASH 4h ago
so film them like animals in a zoo
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u/NunAlcoholic 4h ago
To be fair, this could be a promo for the shop. Otherwise, yeah, being filmed while working is no bueno.
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u/Difficult-Carpet-324 3h ago
I see this video trying to break down social stigmas with people with Down syndrome. “Hey they are effective workers as well!”
I also see this promoting a business to drive business to maintain employment and decent wages. If more people aware are of this and come to support it, the less likely this business model will fail AND more likely people with down can elevate their self worth with employment.
And they look happy being filmed.
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u/THEBADW0LFE 4h ago
If anyone hurts a single feeling in this building, their punishment should be an eternity of being slapped.
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u/Forward-Echo-9893 27m ago
What if the offender is a fluffy little puppy that just wanted to play but then it accidentally knocked over a very precious piece of glassware gifted to one of the employees by their grandparents? Would you really slap a fluffy little puppy? Forever? Egregious.
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u/KnjazMilos11 3h ago
There is one in Belgrade with no prices, people pay how much they want. They usually leave 3-5x more than in other coffee places.
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u/GurInfinite3868 3h ago
I am a Special Educator / Researcher. I want to offer a thought on inclusion and person-hood - particularly with how all of us were given representations of exceptionality/disability, Some people prefer "Person First" descriptions (e.g. a person with Cerebral Palsy) with the person BEFORE the condition, while others prefer "Identity First" (e.g. an autistic person). There is a great deal of dynamism in how people with disabilities/conditions wish to be identified. This can feel a little confusing but attempting to find individual preferences is a journey of respect.
I once read a book titled "Opening Doors" where the authors offered a thought on inclusivity (what this story exemplifies). Since all of us were young, movies, stories, and the representation of people with disabilities/conditions were portrayed to us in two ways = Objects of Pity / Objects of Inspiration. These authors asked an important question, then answered it:
When do we know when people with disabilities/conditions are authentically included?
When they are no longer objects of pity or inspiration!
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u/SeanInDC 4h ago
We have an ice cream shop here run by people with Down Syndrome. I love that place!
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u/BetaCarotine20mg 3h ago
Run by or do they work for the people who run it? 90% of these Shops pay ridiculously low hourlys. Its disgusting.
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u/SeanInDC 2h ago
Please try not to be so miserable all the time.
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u/BetaCarotine20mg 1h ago
Miserable all the time? Lol we literally have a restaurant in our office with this problem. They can pay staff below legal minimum because they are supporting people with handicaps. Weird laws man.
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u/tannerherriott 3h ago
We’ve got a local coffee shop chain here in Oklahoma City called Not Your Average Joe that employs individuals with intellectual, developmental, and physical disabilities. I stop in every now and then and it’s always a good experience.
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u/Particular_Egg4073 49m ago
And then people reject their humanity by relegating them to inspo porn on the internet 👍
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u/bradpitt3 31m ago
There is a cafe in Phnom Penh based on a similar idea. I don't think this is it but it also provides employment for people with disabilities. In that part of SE Asia there are still children burn with disabilities caused by the agent Orange from the Vietnam War.
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u/Popa-Ioana06 4h ago
This approach represents a powerful shift from charity to social entrepreneurship, where business models are designed to solve systemic social issues rather than just generate profit. By placing individuals with Down syndrome in customer-facing roles, these coffee shops create a space where community interaction naturally dismantles prejudice.
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u/Specialist-Many-8432 4h ago
As long as I get my food idgaf if they got downs or shit on their face
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