The wait was longer than expected, but Karin York and Spencer Nickell are now in...
The wait was longer than expected, but Karin York and Spencer Nickell are now in the Spencer's Place business.
Surprise's café and bistro employs people with cognitive and intellectual disabilities, a rarity in the valley, but a concept that York wants to capture here and elsewhere.
"They are great. They do a good job," said York at Spencer's Place Thursday morning. "Whenever we want to give them a new job or develop a different skill, they are up to the opportunity. They leave their comfort zone. It was amazing. They were already in a different location in our second week than in our last week."
Spencer's Place, 15341 W. Waddell Road, Ste B101, is on the southeast corner of Reems and Waddell Road, on the left side of Bashas. It started in 2019 when York decided to get inspiration from an East Coast company and his son Spencer Nickell with Down syndrome.
Ms. York recently checked her emails and found that around 100 people asked if Spencer's Place needed further help. With 13 employees with cognitive or learning disabilities and three or four "coach mentors", the list of employees is currently complete.
"And I can't plan anything at the moment, so I have to write emails that say," We all have employees, but we want to think about them in the future. "It kills me every time," said York. "It also shows that there are no jobs available for people with disabilities. What we already knew, but he brings it home every day. "
Ashley Nickell is Spencer's sister-in-law and was part of the process before Spencer Place became a reality.
She remembers meeting Spencer 14 years ago when she wasn't exposed to anyone with special needs. She was always nervous about the different stories she had heard.
"But when I met Spencer, he was the friendliest and sweetest man I've ever met," said Nickell. "I was happy to be part of something bigger, to bring people with special needs closer, as I have never been exposed to such an experience. And I feel that the world is missing here. If you don't know, it automatically scares you. And you are nervous. But if you are exposed to it and understand it, it is not scary. It's incredible. "
According to a 2018 report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 61 million people in the country have disabilities that affect important life activities. About 10.8% of them are people with cognitive impairments: strong difficulty concentrating, remembering or making decisions. And, according to the National Center for Learning Disabilities, 1 in 5 children in the US UU. Has learning and attention problems like dyslexia and ADHD.
However, a 2017 NCLD report found that 48% of parents believed that their children would overcome their brain problems, and 33% of educators contributed to learning difficulties.
According to the officials, this is far from the case.
"Children with learning and attention problems are as intelligent as their peers and with the good support they can get at a high level," said Mimi Corcoran, President and CEO of NCLD, in 2017. "But the lack of early or effective Interventions put too many children in a downward spiral. "
Arizona, Delaware-based Precisionists launched the Phoenix Precision Project in 2019 to create 500 jobs for people with autism and other special skills in Arizona over the next three to five years. The group's goal is 1,000 by 2025.
When he returned to Spencer's Place, York said he had felt the support of the city and its residents since the idea was launched in February 2019. The opening was planned for this summer, but construction and financial problems prevented this. to serve the team. Coffee until this year
The cafeteria has been independent article last February the Daily received several media reports, the advertising for Fox 10 Phoenix , Arizona's Family and contain AZ Big Media .
Spencer's Place sold shirts and other gifts and continued to raise money. Ms. York would finally like to allow people to sponsor employee salaries as part of their nonprofit organization to pave the way for Ms. York to hire more people when needed.
Although not as competent with Ms. York as people with special needs, Ms. Nickell said that her mother-in-law helped her understand some of the employee's disabilities and weaknesses. This allows you to assign specific tasks to employees so they don't have to worry.
For example, Ms. Nickell said that they had an employee who was worried about someone. Sometimes you could hang around the laundry door and bypass the order counter. Then, when the dishes accumulate, the employee is forced to go to the laundry room. Or if you need stamped items, send them to the conference room.
Then there is the opposite, the employees who want to get involved in everything. For them, they tend to register and take on other social tasks.
"It was really great to create jobs that match their needs," said Nickell. "I really appreciated being able to help them and give them the feeling of having a goal. I think that's the most important thing. You want to be like us. Not that they are different from us. But the world saw it as different. And they only want one goal. "
Spencer's Place has been opening smoothly since the end of January and is open Monday through Saturday, 8 AM to 4 PM. A ceremonial opening is scheduled for this time in February. The hours can be extended until 6 a.m.
