Bitty & Beau's Coffee Shop

It's more than a cup of coffee...

The other week my wife, Fabiola, and I went to a new coffee shop called Bitty & Beau’s Coffee that just opened up in the Georgetown area of Washington, D.C. It’s not just any coffee shop though. As their slogan says, “It’s more than a cup of coffee” because the shops aim to change the way people see, respect and value other people. The franchise also has locations in Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas.

It was established in 2016 by Amy and Ben Wright, who are proud parents of four children, Lillie, Emma Grace, Beau and Bitty. Lillie was born with autism, and Bitty and Beau were both born with Down syndrome. The Wright’s have dedicated their lives and their coffee shops to making the world a better place for people with disabilities. The Georgetown location has three people with intellectual disabilities working there, as well as two people who don’t have intellectual disabilities to help them.

Young adults with disabilities always need to try and work a little bit harder than “normal” people. That, however, does not mean that you exclude them from the workforce. People with intellectual disabilities are a little bit like robots and other technology in that we learn over time what your ways of life and likes are. But while we might do things a little differently, that doesn’t mean that we aren’t just as capable as any normal person. Just ask anyone who has been to Bitty & Beau’s.