Delaware County father is opening coffee shop to create jobs for people with disabilities
A new café opening soon in Glen Mills, Delaware County, is giving people with disabilities a place to work, grow and thrive.
Ryan's Rise Up Café, located on Evergreen Drive in the Concordville Town Center, near U.S. 322, is the vision of Concord Township father of four Jim Vail. He said he sold his construction company to focus full-time on creating a space where his 20-year-old son, Ryan Vail, could work and where others with disabilities could have the same opportunity.
"There's a stigma that's been going back for years now that people with disabilities really have limitations," Jim Vail said. "Ryan has Down syndrome, and I see what he can offer. He has the ability to do so much more than what this stigma will allow you to think."
Ryan's Rise Up Café plans to hire 15 to 20 people at first, with the goal of eventually employing up to 45. Employees will include individuals with Down syndrome, autism and other disabilities.
"The café's motto is 'Come for the coffee, leave inspired,'" Jim Vail said.
The café will offer training, support and a full-time behavioral specialist to ensure each employee's work aligns with their abilities. There will be a sensory room on the second floor, where employees can take breaks on bean bags with fidgets, highlighting the café's focus on inclusion.
"It's not your traditional coffee shop," Jim Vail said. "It's not just a matter of making sure we have coffee beans and cups and Danish ready. It's also a matter making sure there's going to be training that has to occur before those doors open."
Jim Vail said the support of his family and the community has been vital as the café prepares to open in early March.
"This is going to be a loving and welcoming environment that you're going to walk out of and say, 'Wow, that was amazing,'" Jim Vail said.
Ryan Vail, meanwhile, is looking forward to being part of the café himself. When asked what the best part of working there will be, he replied: "Making coffee."
For Jim Vail, the café represents a way to challenge stigma and build a better future for people with disabilities in Delaware County.