One-Of-Its-Kind! Mumbai's Café Arpan Employs People With Intellectual Disabilities, Paves Way For Inclusion

Eight years ago, Dr Sushama Nagarkar and her daughter, Aarti - a person with autism, moved back to India from the United States to start an NGO that would work with adults with special abilities and give them a meaningful quality of life.

Sushama and her niece, Ashaita Mahajan - trustees of Yash Charitable Trust (YCT) founded by Dr Nagarkar, started Café Arpan - Mumbai's first cafe that solely employs adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities (PwIDDs) in 2018. The café is one of the supported employment projects run by YCT. Their vision is that PwIDDs will live and work in the community of their choice with dignity and self-respect.

In 2015, Sushama and Ashaita started YCT's first supported employment project called 'Arpan Dabba Service', (now known as Arpan Food Services), where they partnered with a home cook. They started with a team of three specially-abled adults working in a small 200 sq ft. space where they prepared and then delivered freshly cooked meals to people living or working between Juhu and Bandra.

"Aarti and I grew up very close and are very bonded. She is my biggest inspiration and has motivated me to do what I am doing today," Ashaita told The Logical Indian.

She shares that within two years of starting the dabba service, the team size grew from 3 to 14. Being a small space, their kitchen couldn't accommodate more people, so they had to plan for a second supported employment project.

"During this period, we came across a story online about a family based in the Philippines who started a café for their autistic son. We were very inspired by this idea, did some research and found out there was no other café doing what we wanted to do," Ashaita said.

After running a successful crowdfunding campaign at the end of 2017 to raise funds, Café Arpan was finally started on August 2, 2018. The café is open from Tuesday to Sunday from 11 am to 8 pm; it has an extensive menu comprising 85 items ranging from sandwiches (made with bread they bake themselves!), salads, burgers, pizzas, pastas and other unique dishes. Methi Puri chat, Southwest Sev Puri, and Nachni Wraps are some of their best offerings here. The specially-abled team members play a crucial role in every aspect of operations and service.

"We make a special date and walnut muffin, which is sugar-free, so we can cater to people who have dietary restrictions. We serve only pure vegetarian food with Gluten-free, vegan and Jain options as well," Ashaita shared.

Provides Supportive Environment For Employees

Café Arpan and Arpan Food Service currently have 21 salaried team members who work across both projects. YCT has created a very supportive environment at both locations, where a manager, kitchen assistants, volunteers, counsellors, and therapists assist and guide the specially-abled staff whenever needed.

Nikhil, the counter assistant, is a person with autism. When he first joined the café, he was very anxious. After some training and getting settled into his role, Nikhil now displays a lot more confidence and takes charge of his responsibilities. He is very proud of his work and feels empowered when he gets his monthly salary. He enjoys being a "working man".

Beverage-maker Anand is best at measuring ingredients, and his cold coffee is regarded as one of the best by the customers! Similarly, the café's head chef Aaron is good at memorising recipes and always remembers everyone's birthdays.

Aarti, also Ashaita's cousin, is a social butterfly and an expert in greeting and seating customers. She also enjoys singing for her customers.

The specially-abled staff at Café Arpan are treated as equals. They have to be responsible for their duties, and no inappropriate work behaviour is permitted. We are strict with the team about following rules. Basically, we are trying to give them a real-world work environment while providing reasonable accommodation wherever needed," Ashaita said.

Nikhil, Anand, Aarti and all the team members at YCT have definitely benefited from having such a supportive environment to work, earn and learn; a place where they are treated with respect and given the dignity that we may take for granted.

Ashaita believes having this well-balanced life full of different meaningful experiences (work, friendship, etc.) has impacted the team members on a deep level. For many, this is their first job - some used to sit idle at home and only get a chance to interact with family or close friends. Now, they are exposed to so many more people (with and without disabilities) whom they can engage with, which has led to many new and amazing friendships.

Different From Other Inclusive Cafes

Café Arpan, which means offering, is different from other inclusive cafés in Mumbai as the category of disability it works with is unique to the city. At its entrance, a huge all-inclusive pride flag is put up, symbolising that the space is inclusive and welcomes people from all different communities.

The café has been well received on food delivery platforms like Zomato and Swiggy too - though their USP is the dining experience. The whole team at YCT hopes that the overwhelmingly positive response continues for many years to come.

Furthermore, the customers feel a sense of calm, joy, and compassion, among other warm-fuzzy feelings. They have also welcomed the team members into their hearts and love interacting with them.

"The customers at Arpan don't just leave the café with a full tummy, but with a full heart as well," Ashaita says with pride.

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