Uniquely Made Cafe Serving Up Coffee and a Message

As we honor National Disability Employment Awareness Month, Uniquely Made Café, a thriving student-run coffee shop established last school year, is brewing up a great message. On the menu is Empowerment and inclusion for an exceptional education class bringing India Hook Elementary School together.

Exceptional Education Teacher Meghan Caldwell started the Uniquely Made Café with a vision where her students learn life skills they could carry through school and into the world. Fueled by a $1,000 grant from The Foundation for Rock Hill Schools, the vision became a reality.

“I was absolutely shocked and incredibly thankful,” Caldwell said. “This was a grant that I had considered writing for an entire year, so knowing that I finally wrote it, and the grant patrol was able to come into our room and meet the inspiration behind it (our students) made it even more meaningful and special for me.”

Each Friday, the cafe opens its doors. Uniquely Made Café offers a range of hot and cold drinks for just $2 each. Caldwell and her teaching assistants take orders and the money throughout the week to prepare for Friday deliveries. The number of orders, and generous support, surprises Caldwell each week. “It’s incredible!!  Creating an opportunity for our students to work on individualized skills within a natural environment, was the purpose of this grant,” she said. “From day one, our school has rallied behind us to help our students progress and master those skills.”

Every student involved in Uniquely Made Café plays an essential role in operations. “Uniquely Made Café provides an opportunity for students to generalize a wide range of skills,” Caldwell said. “Socially, students can work on skills that help them communicate and interact with others via verbal, nonverbal, and cooperation skills.” Throughout the week, all students assist in counting the money from orders, sorting funds into the cash box, preparing order sleeves, and placing drinks in them. “They are able to work on math skills like matching colors/numbers, sorting money, following a sequence, adding, subtracting, and counting by 1s, 5s, 10s,” she said. “Additionally, students practice the proper formation of letters given a model when writing customer names.” All these skills, and others they learn while pushing the coffee cart from room to room, are emphasized in the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate.

 On Friday mornings, each student assumes a specific job, ranging from setting up the coffee machines to preparing the cart with supplies. Two students make special deliveries to faculty and staff, bringing the experience full circle and allowing for valuable, one-on-one interactions. "I believe Uniquely Made Café allows our students to recognize and understand the responsibilities of having a job,” Caldwell said. “We are trying to open their eyes to see and appreciate all that goes into a job, so that when they are ready to start working in the real world, they'll remember there is more to it than just a smile and a 'thank you.”

Beyond work experience, the cafe has nurtured the students' sense of self-worth, autonomy, and leadership. "I have seen such growth in their confidence," Caldwell said. "Students with emerging communication skills are slowing down or focusing on their articulation to be understood when interacting with customers. I've seen students who are shy in all environments come out of their shells when delivering coffee; some of our youngest students have quickly become the 'leaders' on cafe day and remind their peers of cafe expectations."

While the café serves as more than just a coffee shop, Caldwell emphasized Uniquely Made Café stands as a reminder of what students can achieve with the right support and an inclusive mindset. It’s a testament to the capabilities of students when they’re given an open door, an open heart, and an opportunity. What started as an idea blossomed into something the entire school could be involved in to make Fridays even sweeter.

"When I first wrote this grant, I wanted people to look beyond the diagnoses, behaviors, or disabilities, and see our students for the incredible humans they are,” Caldwell said. “They are smart, passionate, funny, committed, and dedicated as well. Our school community has welcomed this idea with open arms, and I hope that the Rock Hill community, or any community for that matter, will also welcome individuals with disabilities into their workforce with open arms.”

Watch our video to see Uniquely Made Café in action: