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| The employees of Café Arpan striking a happy pose for the camera(photo credit: CafeArpan) |
It is truly a
confronting situation for any country in the world to provide employment to its
youth. Especially in India where there is a large population density. In such a
situation, Finding employment for differently-abled individuals remains a
challenge both in India or even in the broader world. In such a
situation, challenges associated with intellectual and developmental
disabilities make it more difficult to keep a job.
Though, today
many Indian and foreign companies are taking initiatives to provide employment,
which is based on the unique capabilities of autistic individuals.
Mumbai based NGO
Yash Charitable Trust (YCT), that has been providing skill development and
livelihood opportunities to adults with IDDs since 2014, started Cafe Arpan in
2018 in Juhu Road, which seeks to employ people with developmental disabilities.
The trust and the cafe are operated by Dr Sushama Nagarkar along with Ashaita
Mahajan who is the co-founder of the cafe and the trustee of YCT.
Café Arpan, a
one-of-its-kind establishment where all servers, kitchen and counter assistants
have some kind of intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDDs).These 18
full time employees handle everything–from greeting the customers to
cooking and serving for them. The cafe is an inclusive space for everybody as
it encourages specially-abled people to come.
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| Ashaita Mahajan and Aarti Nagarkar at Café Arpan. (Photo Credit: Yash Charitable Trust) |
Ashaita Mahajan who was inspired by her first cousin and Dr Nagarkar’s daughter Aarti (with Autism) said: “Knowing how much Aarti would thrive in a setting where she gets to meet and talk to different people was an exciting prospect. Therefore, in 2017, I quit my full-time job and started working on this dream project”
Social challenges
persist due to a lack of awareness and the means to train and integrate these
employees. “We realized that employment opportunities for adults with
developmental disabilities are little,” Mahajan said. “Many people may not find
it easy to employ people like them because they require a lot of support, for
which many don’t have the means or don’t know how to do that.”
“You can see
employees in CafeArpan with developmental and intellectual disabilities
(PwIDDs) like autism, Downs’ syndrome, cerebral palsy to greeting the guests,
serving meals and also tossing sandwiches back in the kitchen.The cafe takes
inspiration from a simile initiative in Manila, Philippines—Puzzle Cafe, which
was started by a family to provide employment for their autistic son”-She
added.
Mahajan feels
that work should be for everyone, even for the people with IDD as they are also
a inseparable part of our society, she agreeing to the fact that
families of specially-abled are now more inclined and open to the possibility
that their unit is capable of being independent and living a meaningful
life."When Cafe Arpan was launched, we went viral on WhatsApp and social
media. Many families approached to hire their sons, daughters, siblings etc.
There are so many adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities
sitting idle at home or wasting away in sheltered workshops."
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| Nikhil Sharma who has Asperger’s syndrome is one of the two counter assistants at Café Arpan; (right) Chef Aaron(autistic) preparing a pasta dish. (Photo Credits: Yash Charitable Trust, Koumudi Chouhan) |
The objective behind the establishment of this cafe is to overcome the social biases and stigma by employing people with intellectual and developmental disabilities such as autism and making them a part of the regular workforce.
Located across
the SNDT Women’s University’s Juhu campus in Santacruz West, Café Arpan plays
host to dozens of customers every day who wander in for its inhouse focaccia
bread sandwiches, methi puri chaat, nachni wraps, hummus and falafel, among
other small bites and hot & cold beverages.
“We also offer
plenty of gluten-free, vegan and Jain options. The Café has a lovely aroma of
coffee at all times, thanks to our star beverage-maker Anand who measures all
ingredients to the ‘t’. We’ve been told several times that his cold coffee is
the best our customers have had in the city,” says Ashaita.
Café Arpan now
enjoys a very good popularity within the neighbourhood, its humble beginnings
are to be traced to a dabba (tiffin) provider introduced by means of YCT in
2015 with a crew of simplest 4 contributors, together with Aarti.
“We had
determined to transform a family-owned storage in Vikhroli to a small kitchen
and collaborated with a house chef, beginning with catering to her current
consumers. Sooner than we knew it, we had long past viral on WhatsApp. Via
2017, we had about 15 contributors and the kitchen used to be beginning to
develop into crowded. That’s once we first began conceptualising Café Arpan,”
says Ashaita, including that the Dabba (Tiffin) provider used to be
later rebranded to Arpan Meals Products and services. (Source: Manila Casino
News)
It is estimated
that 3 per cent of India’s population, or 31 million individuals, live with
IDDs, as per a ResearchGate report. Covering a wide spectrum of conditions such
as autism, Asperger’s syndrome, down syndrome, and cerebral palsy, IDDs often
present at birth and distinctively impact an individual’s physical,
intellectual, emotional and/or social skills.
YCT currently
focuses on two mutually exclusive aspects of adult life (skilling and supported
employment and counseling and therapies) which serve as a platform to assist
people with IDDs to successfully transition into adulthood by providing
supported opportunities to earn a livelihood and develop meaningful relationships
within the community.
Before Cafe Arpan
was launched, the team members were given basic soft skills training. “We had
them role-play and demonstrate how they would greet and serve a guest in their
own home. The responses were personal and helped us set a benchmark of what to
expect. We conducted food and drink prep sessions, and prepared standard
recipes for the team to learn. For those who cannot read, we created flowcharts
and used pictograms. All the team members exceeded our expectations and took on
their roles with confidence and enthusiasm. Presently, the team members are a
mixed bag of personalities, talent and skill. At Cafe Arpan the youngest team
member is 22 and the oldest is over 50. Even during the Corona lockdown Zoom
sessions were extensively used to keep the team connected and
engaged. Mahajan said to TheEconomicTimes.Com
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| LIVA Miss Diva Supranational 2021 |
Reigning queen Ritika Khatnani, who has been busy training and preparing for her international stint, recently visited Café Arpan and spent quality time with the differently-abled staff. “Cafe Arpan has my heart! What an absolutely incredible initiative. More power to them. Diversity, inclusivity, and acceptance all the way. Pure bliss spending time with honestly the coolest and best posers in town, such wonderful beings,” exclaimed the queen as she shared her experience.
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