Making an Impact- One Loaf at a Time
November 19, 2020FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The smell of freshly baked bread fills the air inside the small bakery, while a classic rock playlist shuffles through the speakers.
Upon first glance, this is just a normal artisan bread bakery, but there’s a catch.
For most of the bakery’s employees, this is their first job ever. Not because they aren’t hard-working, loyal, or punctual, but because they’re autistic and have never been given a chance to prove themselves.
Rockin’ Baker owner Daymara Baker opened the bakery on Nov. 11, 2016 with a mission to empower disadvantaged people and instill them with the confidence needed to succeed in the real world.
“Well, it originally started as a way to help woman coming out of jail,” Baker said, “I wanted it to be a bridge of training for them to move onto the next job.”
Baker said the vision for the bakery came to her while on a flight back to Venezuela to see her family, envisioning the bakery as a place where she could aide disadvantaged woman in acquiring the necessary skills to transition into other jobs, breaking the vicious in-and-out jail cycle many offenders fall into.
But the future of the bakery all changed one day when Baker received an email from the mother of a young autistic girl saying it was her daughter, Leah’s, dream to work in a bakery.
“She has been told by doctors and teachers her entire life she would never be able to speak or follow instructions,” Baker said about her now most tenured employee, Leah Glass. “Now she’s the first one to answer the door when a customer walks in.”
Since Glass’ hiring in 2017, Baker has hired multiple employees with autism and learning disabilities, believing this is a concept that can, and should, be replicated.
Referring to employees as “cadets,” Baker says the bakery is meant to serve as a training ground for life, helping employees gain confidence and skills beyond just baking bread.
“You get to come here, work and chill with your friends, and be yourself,” said Joaquin Martinez, 21. “It’s like being with your second family.”
“Most times in the hiring process, what’s the first thing an employer notices when you sit down,” said Baker. “The eyes. If you’re in an interview and the person doesn’t look you in the eyes, we’ve been taught this is rude and you’ll just cross them off the list and onto the next.”
According to austismspeaks.org, “Of the nearly 18,000 people with autism who used state-funded vocational rehabilitation programs in 2014, only 60 percent left the program with a job. Of these, 80 percent worked part-time at a median weekly rate of $160, putting them well below the poverty level.”
“We need to make the difference between what is an expectation and what is a requirement for the job,” said Dr. Brent Thomas Williamson, an associate professor of Counselor Education and Supervision at the University of Arkansas. “Make the difference between what has historically been typical and what is necessary. The fact that your gaze meets for five seconds or 30 seconds, you got to say people may just do it differently, really it’s an expectation.”
“Is the inclusion of people with disabilities worth it to us as a culture and a society,” Williamson said. “To have this tiny bit of discomfort as we change expectations?”
Williamson says a lot of the issues with autistic people in the workforce actually fall on your typical employee.
Baker says that the “cadets” perform 70% of the labor throughout the bakery, proving that through patience and understanding, adults on the spectrum can perform just fine in the workforce.
“We need to eliminate the stereotypes and understand there’s an entire spectrum you can be on, it’s not always just the worst cases,” Baker said.
“Look at Luis,” Baker says motioning towards 32-year-old cadet Luis Bucio, “He used to stand against the back wall silent, waiting to be told what to do next. Now, he’s one of the hardest working cadets, always running around doing everything. He just needed someone to be patient and take the time needed with him.”
Bucio has worked at the bakery for three and a half years now and does everything from washing dishes to baking the bread, tasks he says he really enjoys.
“I do it all, washing dishes, making stuff, cooking in the oven, stocking, packing buns,” Bucio said.
But Baker understands this is more than just a job for many of her cadets, it’s a life altering opportunity.
“It’s not just extra cash for many of them, it’s the feeling they can do something valuable, even one hour of volunteering here means so much to them.”
Baker said the bakery is a non-profit that’s able to pay and hire her employees based on the number of contracts she holds with local restaurants and donations she receives. The more sales she receives, the more cadets she can hire, says Baker.
According to autismspeakes.org, research has shown that “job activities that encourage independence reduce autism symptoms and increase daily living skills.”
“We need to raise awareness of people on the spectrum, show they should not be ashamed to talk about it,” Baker said, “it shouldn’t be something they’re embarrassed to talk about.”
Baker says if the embarrassment can be eliminated, and people on the spectrum can be more open about issues they’re facing, employers may be more understanding. She believes if companies are willing to put in the effort and have patience with neurodiverse people, not only would companies gain loyal, hardworking employees, but neurodiverse people will begin to blossom and come out of their shells.
“No, they may not smile when you walk in, they’re not gonna want to go over and tell you a joke at lunch,” Williamson said. “That kind of social interaction is uncomfortable for a lot of them. A lot of people want to say it’s going to be so hard on them, when usually it’s harder on the typical folks. Those are the people that have all the work to do.”
“I’m a very Type-A person,” said Baker, “I like everything to be moving at a fast pace and get done quick. But I’ve learned to manage my Type-A personality and challenge myself to be more patient, and it has proved to work.”
Baker says she spends a lot of her free time researching ways to better understand her cadets and the issues they may be dealing with, believing that when you’re willing to put in the effort and time to better understand neurodiverse people you’re working with, the reward is seeing your employees happier and excelling at what they do.
“Seeing the transformation of someone who’s been told their entire life they can’t do something, to realizing they can do anything they put their minds to; There’s nothing better.”