Gerry’s Café

by Kalliope Bessler

Disabled people in the United States experience disproportionately higher unemployment rates compared to abled people. Gerry’s Café of Arlington Heights, Illinois, is trying to change that. Natalie Griffin, a former Special Education teacher, and Amy Philpott, a businesswoman with a degree in Behavioral Science, are the co-founders of Gerry's Cafe. Their mission is to open a café that will “provide competitive employment for exceptional individuals with intellectual disabilities ages 22 and older. Geralyn Wehmer, the late aunt of Amy Philpott, who was born with Down Syndrome, is the cafe's namesake…

Vocational OpportunitiesRajiv KapurOctober 23, 2020autism and unemployment, unemployment and disability, Down Syndrome, disabilities

Sarah Bellum’s Bakery

by Kalliope Bessler

In 2017, Dr. Rik Lemoncello, an Associate Professor of Speech-Language Pathology at Pacific University in Forest Grove, Oregon, started Sarah Bellum’s bakery. Dr. Lemoncello’s mission for Sarah Bellum’s is to support adults with brain injuries by giving them a helping hand as they return to work and life after their brain injury…

Vocational OpportunitiesRajiv KapurJune 2, 2020employment, unemployment and disability, autism and unemployment, brain injury