'Happy' cafes

'Happy' cafes

Update: 2024-07-101
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Of the tens of millions of people around the world with autism or down syndrome, only a tiny fraction is in paid employment.

But cooking, making drinks and waiting tables is work where people with learning disabilities can shine.

John Laurenson takes us to a Café Joyeux (Happy Café) in Paris, one of a fast-growing chain of cafe-restaurants where most of the staff have autism or down syndrome and where the croque monsieur comes with a smile.

We also hear from a cafe in Mumbai launched by the mother whose daughter has autism and, in Turkey, the KFCs with a difference.

Find out how café work can transform the lives of employees and owners.

Presenter/Producer: John Laurenson

(Image: Louis, Laura, Anne-France and Arnaud. Credit: BBC)

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'Happy' cafes

'Happy' cafes

BBC World Service