A café opening early March in Glen Mills is the inspiration of Jim Vail, who sold his construction company to create a space where his son and others with disabilities would have a chance to work.
Ryan’s Rise Up Café on Evergreen Drive in the Concordville Town Center is named for his 20-year-old son, Ryan Vail, who has Down syndrome, writes Madeleine Wright for CBS News Philadelphia.
There’s a stigma that people with disabilities have limitations, Vail said, but he sees how much his son can offer.
“He has the ability to do so much more than what this stigma will allow you to think,” Vail said.
The café will employ 15 to 20 people at first, with plans to have as many as 45 workers.
Employees will include individuals with Down syndrome, autism, and other disabilities.
It will offer training, support, and a full-time behavioral specialist so that the work lines up with the abilities of the workers.
“The café’s motto is ‘Come for the coffee, leave inspired,’” Jim Vail said.
“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.
Read more about Ryan’s Rise Up Café at CBS News.
