NGO from Vinkovci demonstrates that people with Down syndrome should be given an opportunity to be involved in their communities.
By the end of this year, the Association of Persons with Disabilities "Bubamara" from Vinkovci will open a coffee shop in the town, which will be called "Buba-Bar” and will employ as servers and waiters persons with Down syndrome, reports Večernji List on May 13, 2016.
Under the supervision and with the support of professionals, Alen, Domagoj, Ivana, Marija and Tina have already started training how to properly carry a tray, how to make coffee and how to make guests feel welcome.
According to Tomislav Velić, the president of the “Bubamara” Association, it will be the first such coffee shop in Croatia. “In the ‘Buba-Bar’ coffee shop, we will serve several kinds of coffee, including some of the top brands. We want to become a well-known and the best coffee shop in Vinkovci. Guests who will come to ‘Buba-Bar’ will receive their coffee with the most beautiful smile”, said Velić.
He explained that the idea for the project came from Scotland where they saw one such coffee shop. In addition to the five members of the Association, who have already started training for their future jobs, the same opportunity will be offered to all the other members of the Association. They are also thinking about initiating in the future other similar projects which would also employ people with disabilities.
“We want in this way to draw attention to discriminatory laws against persons with disabilities, which will cause the future employees of our coffee shop to lose their right to disability benefits while working with us. These people want to work and want to contribute to their families, and they should be allowed to do that”, said Velić.
