INDIANAPOLIS — The smell of java floods the air at a coffee shop on Indy's east side.
Smiles greet you at the door, and tables are filled with people.
"Welcome to God's Embrace Coffee Shop," you hear the baristas say.
But inside the coffee shop they're serving more than a cup of Joe.
"We're serving a cup of joy," owner Colleen Simon said.
The mission here is simple. To show the community that there is room for everyone to contribute their God given gifts, showing that a disability doesn't equate to limitations.
"That's part of why I like it here, it's forgiving," Savina Lind said.
Lind like her other friends who work here have disabilities.
"Everybody deserves the right to have an opportunity," manager Autumn Nicoletti said.
They work to provide opportunities for people of all abilities.
"They're people. They're no different than anyone. They just have different problems," Lind said.
Lind says it's the best place because it's a chance for her and her friends to unapologetically be themselves.
"They're abled in a different way. No one is perfect, we all have a disability. We just hide it better," Simon said.
Simon created the space for people like her daughter, Heather.
Heather had embraced the title of barista.
"I don't know how to read but I can look at the pictures," Heather Lind said.
The space is designed to meet them where they are.
In return it helps them thrive by giving them patience, time and a whole lot of love.
"There is just love in this room and in this space," Nicoletti said.
They serve food too. From daily soup specials to breakfast sandwiches the workers are learning how to do every aspect of the job.
"Having a disability isn't a bad thing, they're just abled in a different way and they see life in a different way and they're much happier people," Simon said.
The cafe gives each of them something they're good at to ensure everyone can succeed.
"It's important to kind to people," Dylan Woods said.
Woods says he has had plenty of jobs before this one that didn't work out. But he loves working at God's embrace coffee shop.
"I love working here. The people are nice and it's less stressful," Woods said.
All of the proceeds from the coffee shop are going toward a future community for people with disabilities.
The goal is to provide a space where people with disabilities can go and live when their care takers are unable.
The coffee shop can be found at, 1040 N Post Rd, Indianapolis, IN 46219.
