Can a Coffee Shop in Utah Help Solve Underemployment for People with Disabilities?
Oct 29, 2024
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Rick Ruback, a Harvard Business School professor specializing in corporate finance, and Joe Higgins, an executive fellow and former president of Visual Comfort & Company, explore the powerful impact of Lucky Ones Coffee in Park City, Utah. They discuss how this coffee shop uniquely employs individuals with disabilities, emphasizing the for-profit model's effectiveness in addressing unemployment. The duo highlights the community's role in supporting inclusivity, innovative hiring strategies, and the transformative benefits of meaningful employment on both employees and workplace culture.
Lucky Ones Coffee in Utah highlights the profound impact of inclusive employment by providing meaningful job opportunities for individuals with disabilities.
The establishment of supportive work environments not only benefits employees with disabilities but also enhances overall job satisfaction and reduces turnover for businesses.
Deep dives
Closure of Willowbrook and Its Impact
The closure of the Willowbrook State School in 1987 marked a significant turning point for the rights of people with disabilities in the United States. Once the largest institution of its kind, Willowbrook was known for its horrific overcrowding and substandard living conditions. Its closure not only highlighted the abuses faced by residents but also paved the way for landmark legislation, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990. The ADA has since ensured greater access to education, employment, and human services for individuals with disabilities while prohibiting discrimination and promoting reasonable workplace accommodations.
The Lucky Ones Coffee Initiative
Katie Holyfield and Taylor Matkins founded Lucky Ones Coffee to create fulfilling employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities. Their journey began with the realization that many adults with disabilities faced significant barriers when seeking traditional employment, despite undergoing skills training programs. The coffee shop was not just a business but a means to empower this community, utilizing the skills they developed at the National Ability Center. By providing a supportive work environment, they have successfully created a thriving community space that champions inclusion and employment for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Benefits and Challenges of Employing Individuals with Disabilities
Employing individuals with disabilities presents unique challenges and opportunities for businesses. Many employees with disabilities lack alternative employment options, leading to a strong desire for meaningful work that enhances their sense of purpose. However, employers may struggle with misconceptions about the capabilities of disabled individuals and the logistics of finding suitable roles. Nevertheless, companies that embrace inclusivity often experience lower employee turnover rates and higher job satisfaction, illustrating the mutual benefits of creating adaptable and supportive employment environments.
Katie Holyfield and Taylor Matkins founded Lucky Ones Coffee in 2017, a coffee shop with a mission to create jobs in Park City, Utah, for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
The company quickly earned strong support from the local community, and by early 2023, Holyfield and Matkins employed 17 people across two coffee shops. The two entrepreneurs must now decide how to grow their business to create more jobs and how to structure the business to ensure that it remains a sustainable and financially sound enterprise as it scales.