The ‘Dancing Barista’
My birthday is in four days and my birthday wish this year is to have this video go viral. I would like to introduce you to a young teenager named Sam.
When he was offered a position to work at Starbucks Sam told his parents that for the first time in his life. That his life had real meaning. Sam was diagnosed with autism and like some people with autism Sam has a movement disorder. Sam has a hard time keeping his body still. Sam never thought that he would be able to work behind the bar because of his sudden movements but his manager Chris believed in him and got Sam to channel his movements into dance.
It has taken Sam and Chris a lot of shifts and hours to get Sam to do what he is doing in the video. Sam is now known as the dancing barista. If it wasn’t for Chris believing in Sam he would of never believed in himself.
More people like Sam need to be seen, heard and given a chance to thrive and dance. Please show your support by sharing and reposting. Help make my birthday wish come true!
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Sam, the young man in the video, was an attendant at Starbucks, cleaning tables and handing out samples, but didn’t think that he would ever be able to work behind the counter because of the sudden movements he sometimes makes.
But the manager at Starbucks believed he could and gave Sam a chance. All it took was some imaginative out-side-the-box thinking and the willingness to try something new.
Chris Ali, the Starbucks manager realized that Sam had an ability for dancing and used that in a creative way to help give his movements some direction and purpose.
Ali said that the dancing has also helped boost Sam’s self-confidence.
As a result, of Fleischmann’s video post, Sam has become known as the ‘dancing barista’, and the manager says that customers love the dancing and that many visit the store just to see his dance moves.
‘There’s a significant lack of opportunity provided to people with autism when it comes to work. Employers don’t understand what accommodations need to be made.’ ~Scott Badesch, Autism Society
But, over all “we still see people with disabilities being hired for jobs much under their skill level,” Badesch said.
One reason may be an issue on the front end. In a job interview, candidates are expected to be outgoing, to look the interviewer in the eye and adapt immediately to unfamiliar spaces — all things that people with autism can find challenging.
Modifications to alleviate those factors, like lowering harsh lights in a room, are easy to make, but are something an employer “may not realize … may not have anything to do with a person’s job,” Badesch said.
So what does Badesch see when he watches the video that has been viewed more than 51 million times? “It shows a guy wanting to work and wanting to make the job enjoyable,” he said. “And a company that’s willing to let him do it.”
So want do you see when you watch this video? Here it is:
The Dancing Barista
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukDKrwoL36g&w=420&h=315]
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/dancing-barista-autism-starbucks_us_56a84c74e4b0f71799286b69