Brother Andres Cafe is a local coffee shop in Pittsburgh with two locations (Downtown and Bellevue) that provides meaningful job opportunities for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (ID/D). Their mission is to provide all individuals within the ID/D community with an opportunity to thrive in a work setting.
Bridgette (Loiselle) Pepmeyer (OTD ‘10) was originally connected to the project by supporting the cafe as an occupational therapy (OT) consultant. Initially, she used her OT skills to support the development of the cafe by advising on how best to renovate the space from an occupational therapy lens, then transitioned to providing support for an OT capstone student.
Pepmeyer’s current role as staff occupational therapist and director of communications leverages many of her OT skills including consultancy, advocacy, training, development, communication, marketing efforts and more.
Pepmeyer has found that her occupational therapy training supports her work each and every day including using the Person-Environment-Occupation model in addition to the use of the Cognitive Orientation of Occupational Performance (CO-OP) model which she learned when working with Occupational Therapy Department Chair Juleen Rodakowski on the ForAging (Facilitating Optimal Routines in Aging) study. Bridgette found the CO-OP method particularly helpful in bridging the gap between the reduction in services when an individual with ID/D turns 21. At this age, there is a loss of therapeutic support when the individual is often seen as meeting their threshold from a work occupational standpoint, and she looks to break down that stigma with this model. The CO-OP method helps the cafe staff trust their own decision making and problem-solving skills using guided discovery questions.
As you look around the cafe, you see multiple examples of visual schedules and supports strategically placed to help with the ordering, creation, and service of food and drinks. All of which is done in support of the cafe staff who may require support for visual memory or attention. In addition, Bridgette provides sensory diets for staff that need help to engage in the cafe space and with job-related tasks. As the cafe is operating, you hear an order being announced through the Proloquo2Go app—one of many visible signs that an occupational therapists’ touch has been a part of the development and the ongoing operation of the cafe.
Currently, Brother Andres supports twenty-six staff members and focuses on aligning the strengths of each worker to tasks that are meaningful to them.
Bridgette shared that the best support the Pitt OT community can provide is to visit the cafe. (Bonus—the cafe offers a 15% student discount!) Being a customer provides opportunities for the staff to practice and increase their job skills, while being a patron of the cafe provides the chance for community members to keep an open mind and helps change the broader societal perspectives of what roles and jobs individuals with ID/D could participate in.
For individuals looking to start similar inclusive workplaces as an occupational therapist consultant, Bridgette shares there are a lot of grants available for funding future occupational therapy roles. Bridgette stated, “OTs can look at things holistically and are not afraid of trying and failing,” and this is why they thrive in business settings and non-traditional roles.
To learn more about Brother Andres please visit their website or follow them on social media, and be sure to share news of the cafe with friends and family.
