There is a palpable sense of purpose and job satisfaction among the young adults with Down syndrome who work in the Happy Out cafe in Dún Laoghaire. We are chatting on the outdoor terrace of the cafe in the refurbished Dún Laoghaire Baths building overlooking the harbour.
It’s a stunning setting for any cafe, but this one has extra-special credentials because it may be the first commercial cafe in Ireland to employ adults with Down syndrome in partnership with a social enterprise.
“I don’t have anyone in my family with Down syndrome, but this opportunity fell into my lap and I thought it would be very nice to do,” says Brian Hanratty, who owns Happy Out cafes on Bull Island and in Donnybrook as well as Dún Laoghaire.
Hanratty first came in contact with the Together Academy social enterprise – which trains and finds work for adults with Down syndrome – at its base in the Wanderers Football Club a few years ago. “I helped them set up their coffee shop in the bar at Wanderers and trained them how to make coffee,” Hanratty explains.
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The Together Academy was cofounded by Therese Coveney, whose 14-year-old daughter April gave her the impetus to set up the social enterprise.
“I can feel change in the Dún Laoghaire/Blackrock area since the Happy Out cafe opened [in July 2023]. Most adults with Down syndrome rely on day services when they turn 21, but we wanted robust, industry-recognised training and a job to change the statistic that only 10 per cent of adults with Down syndrome work,” says Coveney.
“After Covid, most of us understood what it was like to have meaningless, aimless days with no purpose. We are giving these young adults opportunities to be more independent, to be a valuable part of their community and to be paid employees.”
Currently, there are 14 adults with Down syndrome on the roster at Happy Out in Dún Laoghaire. Each person does a three-hour shift – partly because they can’t work more than about 10 hours a week while keeping their disability allowance, but also because three hours is long enough for most of the employees.
“In the beginning we found it hard to get enough guys to work with us but not now. They do everything from serving on the till, making and serving coffee and dealing with orders,” says Hanratty. The cafe has a card-only payment system which reduces potential for errors.
Hanratty says the younger generation of customers love seeing adults with Down syndrome working in the cafe, but it has taken some older people a bit of time to get their heads around it.
“Some ‘old school’ people don’t expect things to be done right and they will look to another staff member to make sure it’s really happening. But when they see that the staff member with Down syndrome has done the job well, they are very positive,” says Hanratty.
The staff working regular eight-hour shifts also have to be a bit more flexible. “When we hire staff, we have to make sure that they know what they are taking on and be willing to help out in certain scenarios, and be more patient at times. They need to know that it’s different to a regular cafe.”
Hanratty says the key to everything is to serve good coffee. “If the coffee isn’t good, people will come once and won’t come back, even if they think it’s a nice idea.”
Ciara Donohoe from Newtownmountkennedy in Co Wicklow works on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays at Happy Out. “It’s really good and not too hard. It’s very challenging making the drinks and I’m still learning how to be a barista,” she says.
Charlie O’Reilly from Sandycove works on Mondays and Fridays: “I love chatting with customers and colleagues when I’m working at Happy Out. It’s a really good business.”
Kim Williams from Shankill has a reputation for being good at latte art. “I also do the tills and take orders,” she says, admitting that walking through the cafe when it’s really busy can be a bit difficult.
Cafe manager Matthew Roche says some of the staff with Down syndrome can get a bit flustered and emotional if it’s very busy. “We just take some time out in the foyer or outside if this happens – especially on busy days or at the weekends,” he explains.
Building up people’s confidence to work front and centre in a public space has taken time, says Coveney.
“When we first started training people, there was a lot of heads down, withdrawn people with their headphones on, but they have grown and flourished,” she says. “Working in a cafe won’t suit everyone, but there was something there waiting to be nurtured and educated.
“It is about having higher expectations of these young adults but it would be naive to let them fly on their own. They need the supports around them.”
Paula Doherty is the Pathways to Employment lead with the Together Academy. Her job involves finding work placements and paid employment for students who have completed the two-year culinary and hospitality programme that Together Academy runs at the Wanderers Football Club.
“It’s about matching the person with the job and carving out a role for them. This can involve two or three tasks over two mornings a week from, say, 10am-1pm,” she says. “Some businesses are nervous about taking someone on, but once they meet with us and see the supports they get, it eases their minds.”
The Together Academy provides backup support for the workers, meeting them before and after their job, and checking in every four to six weeks with three-, six- and 12-monthly reviews. They also do inclusive training with staff and set up a buddy system in the workplace so the person with Down syndrome has one key worker to turn to if they have any concerns.
This summer the Together Academy will open a second, larger training centre in SMBC Aviation Capital on Fitzwilliam Square, Dublin. “This will be about providing more programmes for young adults with Down syndrome. It’s about elevating people’s expectations whilst giving people a lot of support,” says Coveney.
She adds that all of the staff at Happy Out still live with their families and it has taken a lot of forbearance on their parts.
“Many travel to work independently on public transport. We know that we are still working with vulnerable young adults. We take our role very responsibly.”
