On-Campus Coffee Shop Serves Up Experience for Special Needs Students

A group of students with special needs are getting some real world experience without leaving their school.

The Wallingford High Road Academy, a part of Specialized Education Services, Inc., has opened a student-run coffee shop at the school to serve staff while giving high school students with special needs a chance to learn work and life skills in a real life setting.

The High Road Academy-Wallingford Campus specializes in serving students who face learning, language, and social challenges with diagnoses of, but not limited to, Autism Spectrum Disorders, Learning Differences, Non-verbal Learning Disorders, Traumatic Brain Injury, intellectual disabilities, anxiety disorders and speech/language disorders.  The school serves 67 students in grades 9 through 12 as well as 18 to 21 year old transition students. 

The coffee shop, called Cup of Inspiration, has the feel of a chic coffee shop with a range of specialty coffee flavors like Hazelnut and a high-octane blend called Jet Fuel. Students take coffee orders and brew the orders in Keurigs. 

Each day, the café opens before school so staff can stop by and purchase their morning Cup of Joe. Then later in the day, teachers submit written orders for their coffee along with advance payment of $.25 per cup. Students brew and deliver the coffee right to staff members. Teachers love the mid-day pick me up.

A recent study on transition services by the Institute of Education Services found that participation in career and technical education and or getting a job while in high school may be related to better employment outcomes for students with disabilities.

"This is wonderful opportunity for students with challenges to learn the soft skills needed for employability," said Faculty advisor Rosemary Schaeffer. "These skills include meeting and greeting customers, being on time for work, working with another person, dressing appropriately, and understanding accountability." 

Schaeffer says that she and Transition Coordinator Matt Beradesca target the 18 to 21 year old transition students who are closest to pursuing employment. Participating students must be in good standing in school to work at the Cup of Inspiration café. 

"I have learned to put the water in the coffee pot, get organized and initial the coffee cup orders," said High Road Academy student and Cup of Inspiration employee Victoria, 19. She said she appreciates the new skill set she is acquiring, adding, "It is going great!  It gives us our own independent time because we don't need our transition teachers to support us here."

Future plans for Cup of Inspiration include adding a flavor of the month and opening up to the public.