LONDON — From the hiss of steam warming milk, the clank of emptying used coffee grounds and the chatter of customers, Fair Shot is like any another London coffee shop, but it’s also a training centre for young adults with learning disabilities.
In England, just 4.8 per cent of people with learning disabilities were in paid work in 2022-2023, according to the government’s annual survey of adult social care. Bianca Tavella, founder and chief executive of Fair Shot, believes the rate is too low and there’s a way to help fix it.
“I’m so proud that I got a paid job,” said Aya Bider, 23, a recent graduate from Fair Shot’s training programme who now works for the sales department of a brand at luxury goods maker LVMH after being rejected by employers in the past.
“I would be sad if I didn’t have a job. I would be sitting at home like a lemon, watching TV.”
Having grown up with an autistic friend, Tavella, 29, hatched a plan to give those with learning disabilities or neurodevelopment disorders the chance to realise their full potential by providing training — both for them and for employers.
There have been multiple success stories, she said, remembering one non-verbal student whose parents could not believe their daughter could ever have a job. She has for the last two years been working as a barista at a different cafe.
“She kind of just stays in her lane, is not fazed by anything. She kind of just wants to work,” Tavella said.
Fair Shot students may have autism, auditory processing disorder, motor skill difficulties, Down syndrome or an undiagnosed condition, the CEO said. The programme trains 15 people a year to be ready to secure paid jobs.
Nineteen employers have signed up to give jobs to the students. There are over 40 steps for a partner company to go through which can take a year or more as a Fair Shot consultant works to help train front line staff to be ready for their new addition.
“It’s hard but I think if the intention is right then it’s super do-able,” said Tavella.
Partners include restaurants like The Ivy, coffee shops, plus co-working spaces and big companies like Goldman Sachs.
Feedback from the employers about their new hires has been enthusiastic, she said. “Their motivation and how much they genuinely want to work will set them apart from any other employee in any other job.”
One manager of a coffee shop “said that our graduate is better than any other employee. His coffee is better than any other employee, his work on the till, the way that he shows up to work, how he’s always positive, his work ethic.”
While sales from Fair Shot’s own coffee shop in central London’s Covent Garden help fund some of the training, Tavella raises 450,000 pounds (S$745,000) a year to keep the charity running.
Busy styling chai lattes and serving roasted broccoli frittata, Alex Watling, 18, is half way through his training at Fair Shot.
“I’m proud that I’ve been doing this job so far, as I can develop experience,” he said, adding that he was hopeful of a paid job at the end of it.
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