Inclusive Workplace Bakery Initiative

7/30/2019 Inclusive Workplace Bakery Initiative

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Baked with Love


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The intention of this bakery is to be modeled as a for profit business with a focus oncommunity development that raises revenue while furthering the development of job skills andemployability of people with and without disabilities. Rather than developing a charity or non for

profit that benefits people with disabilities, the idea is that this bakery will create opportunity in a

dignified work environment for people to acquire and master the skills necessary to be successful

in a competitive work force.

In saying this, the expectations and standards will be high. Our products will be delicious,fresh and unique. Our service will be excellent and affirming. Our environment will be clean,

welcoming and accessible. We want a loyal customer base and strong community supportbecause our business is the best and not primarily because the community development

intentions are good.

Brownies and cakes and muffins, oh my!December 2012


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Mission: Sugar Plum Bakery maintains the delicate balance between being a business as well as

a rehabilitative facility. On any given day, Sugar Plum has between 16 and 19 people withdisabilities working successfully as a part of this competitive business in their community. This

business employs people with and without disabilities and serves as an example of how people

with disabilities can be accepted and compensated similarly to those without disabilities.

Specialties: Runs as both a business and rehabilitative facility; named Best of the Beach by

the Virginia pilot for 9 years in a row for their bakery and educational programsWebsites: http://www.sugarplumbakery.org/

Supports: Sugar Plum Bakery was founded and incorporated in 1985 as a non-for profitorganization after receiving a grant award from the U.S. Department of Health and Human

Services, Administration on Developmental Disabilities. Since 1987,Sugar Plum Bakery has run

as a competitive retail bakery business that is governed by a Board of Directors made up by 13community leaders. They have many volunteers for day to day operations and in-service training

for support staff who have not previously worked with people with disabilities.

Bomb Diggity BakeryLocation: Portland, MEMission: Providing treats for all eaters; traditional baked goods, vegan and gluten-free treats

using any available local and organic ingredients. Bomb Diggity strives to employ bakers of allabilities by mixing passion, energy, and creativity to create a meaningful work environment for

employees.

Specialties: Gluten free, vegan, organic/local ingredients

Websites: http://www.bombdiggitybakery.com/

Supports: Integrated work setting with built in supports from staff of different abilities. Shares

space with a local caf that sells their items. Bomb Diggity is a business that hires the bestperson for the job. It is an extension ofMomentum, which provides services to people with

cognitive and physical disabilities. They provide opportunities for people to learn skills in the

bakery that they can apply to other work environments.

Sweet Comfort Bakery & CafeLocation: Port Washington, NY

Mission: Sweet tastes with a social mission! Offering employment to people with

developmental disabilities and providing classes to target needs and interests of people in the

community being served.

Specialties: eating in outdoor caf; baked goods, sandwiches, salads, smoothies, etc; purchase

products to go

Website: http://www.sweetcomfortbakeryandcafe.com/about-our-bakery/,http://communitymainstreaming.org

Supports: Sweet Comfort is a social enterprise that has been developed as an initiative of

Community Mainstreaming Associates: a Long Island based non-profit organization that helpspeople with cognitive disabilities lead meaningful, productive lives within their community.


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Working Togetheris CMAs vocational program that prepares its participants for successfully

employment.

Other potential contacts:

Helping Hands BakeryLocation: Longmont, CO

Mission: Founded by Bridget Lane who has three sons with autism and wanted to make a

difference in her community in the area of employment and self reliance for people with

disabilities. Everyone has gifts to give.

Specialties: Many of the products are gluten free and are sold in Whole Foods across 4 states;

online ordering

Websites: http://www.helpinghandsbakery.com/(online bakery closed for holidays)

Supports: Their vocational training program helps young adults learn to bake and package thegoods. Received financial support with start up fromLegal Zoom. Products are sold by Whole

Foods in multiple states.

The Bakery at Hatties Caf & GiftsLocation: Hudson, OH; Cleveland, OH & Akron, OH

Mission: Provides vocational training and employment for adults with developmentaldisabilities.

Specialties: Fresh baked goods, fair trade coffee, salads, sandwiches, wraps, etc; does gift basket

orders online

Websites: http://www.hattielarlham.org/v/cafe-bakery.asp

Supports: Owned and operated by non-for profit organization Hattie Larlham for people with

developmental disabilities in Northeast Ohio. This bakery was made possible by a grant fromMayors Office of Economic Development in Akron, OH.

Rhea Matar

Laurie Andrews

Phase 3

December 14, 2012

Professional Development Reflection

This semester, I had the opportunity to experience a unique and often under appreciated

aspect of the special education field; vocational training. Cooperating with the high schools
http://www.helpinghandsbakery.com/http://www.helpinghandsbakery.com/http://www.hattielarlham.org/v/cafe-bakery.asphttp://www.helpinghandsbakery.com/http://www.hattielarlham.org/v/cafe-bakery.asp


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vocational coordinator, I witnessed first hand how important it is to provide students with and

without disabilities with an opportunity to develop job skills that make them employable for the

long run and how to structure environments to provide these necessary opportunities.

While my practicum placement was from the schools perspective of teaching, learning

and community participation for our students developing job skills and working at vocational

sites; I decided to focus my professional development on the business aspect of employing

people with disabilities in an inclusive, supportive and competitive work environment. As I

began researching online, I was met with a flood of hits from local initiatives across the nation

that have pulled together communities in an effort to provide a dignified and successful work

place that employs people with disabilities. My friends and I have gotten through tedious hours

of the night doing homework and making minimum wage at entry level jobs with the vision of

pooling together our strengths, ideals and resources to open none other than a bakery. After only

a few weeks at my practicum site this semester, that vision expanded from opening a competitive

small business to also becoming a community development site and initiative. I began gathering

information from different bakeries in several states that have opened doors for business in their

community in an effort to provide high quality products and supports to build high quality

employees that have learned and developed job skills that they can apply to other food service

industries and beyond. This is not to say that the expectation for young people with disabilities

should be capped at food service; but rather, that an environment can be created in a business we

are passionate about that teaches social and work skills that not only make people employable,

but allow them an opportunity to be a respected and valued members of a workforce and their

community.

I was successfully able to gain perspective and deeper knowledge of the business aspect

of vocational training by researching different business models such as social entrepreneurship,

social enterprise and how partnering with non-for profits to provide rehabilitative services while


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bringing in revenue can strengthen a community (please see attachments). While I was not able

to interview the founders and managers of many of these businesses and organizations as

extensively as I would have liked; I did identify one business, Sugar Plum Bakery in Virginia

Beach, Virginia, that I think would serve as our primary model when making plans to open our

own bakery in Illinois. Many of the bakeries I found were supported by non-for profit

organizations or served as non-for profit facilities but Sugar Plum is truly a competitive business

that successfully includes its community in developing an inclusive and meaningful work

environmentfor people with and without disabilities.

I have talked throughout the semester with my cooperating teacher about the importance

of providing opportunity to young people to develop and maintain job skills to be successful in a

competitive work force. I hope to continue learning and being open minded about the potential of

peoples abilities and how work environments can be supported and structured to allow people of

many different abilities to have a fair shot at self-reliance and a high quality of life. This was also

an opportunity for me to really take some of the Illinois Teaching Standards to heart; because

truly what are we doing in education if we are not providing our students with every possible

avenue of success that is not narrow minded to passing state tests and obtaining a diploma? That

instead we truly look at each child as an individual and focus on what they need to be productive,

to be independent, to be included, to be appreciated, to be respected and to be happy. That is the

current mission of the bakery idea that my friends and I bounce around on the hallway floor of

our apartment in the middle of many nights; that Baked With Love is not just a funny idea that

may potentially fail or fade out but instead a vision that all people are important and truly

deserve to be recognized in that matter.

Documents

Inclusive Workplace Bakery Initiative