Devin Fairweather was brewing with excitement when a new coffee shop in downtown Annapolis, MD, opened.  Devin applied, was interviewed and was thrilled to have been selected for her very first job at Bitty and Beaus Coffee Shop.

Bitty and Beaus is an adaptive workplace employer, whose mission it is to share the strengths and value of the special needs community with the world. The coffee chain was started in January 2016 by the Wright family when they opened the original Bitty & Beau’s Coffee, in Wilmington, NC.  The Wrights are proud parents of four children – the two youngest, Bitty & Beau, having Down syndrome.  As advocates for the value, inclusion, and acceptance of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, the Wrights have dedicated their lives to making the world a better place for their children and others living with disabilities.

Bitty & Beau’s Coffee currently employs 120 people with disabilities and has been featured on The Today Show, Rachael Ray, CNN, Harry, Good Morning America, Dr. Oz, HLN, People Magazine, and Southern Living Magazine. Founder, Amy Wright, was named 2017 CNN Hero of the Year.

After completing her first year of employment at Bitty and Beaus Devin moved to the role of cashier. The register is adapted and just right for her. Her favorite aspects of her job are her manager and new co-worker friends, chatting with the customers and meeting their pets when they bring them in, the sweet Frappuccinos at the end of her shift, and the pride she feels for being an employee.

She works once or twice a week for an appropriately short shift…she has increased slowly from a 2-hour shift to a 3-hour shift and it appears that is her sweet spot. Three hours, once or twice a week, is the maximum time right now that Devin (and her parents) feel comfortable for her to maintain her best employee standards of behavior and motivation.

Beau’s Coffee has created a path for people with disabilities to become more valued, accepted, and included in every community.  For more about this Bitty & Beau’s and their franchised locations, you can check out their website www.bittyandbeauscoffee.com.

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