Gabi and Mary Angelini of Gabi's Grounds

Gabi and Mary Angelini of Gabi's Grounds join The Autistic Me for this episode of The Autistic Me. Gabi discusses her quest for fulfilling employment, being bullied, and much more. From Gabi and Mary: Gabi is a 24-year-old active, motivated adult with Down Syndrome. When she wanted to find a job, she searched and applied for many positions but could not get hired. She has big dreams and wants to be a productive member of society as well as to be active in the workplace. There are many others like her, with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Currently, 82.5% of IDD individuals of all ages are unemployed. We launched Gabi's Grounds Coffee in 2017 to give her and others the opportunity to be productive, responsible employees. We are not just telling people they should hire people with disabilities; we are doing it! We are leading by example. We have just secured warehouse space in Raleigh and hired 34 people with special abilities and we are searching for a suitable location for a storefront. As a result of the launch and continued work of Gabi's Grounds, Gabi herself has blossomed into a creative, confident, woman who goes around the country inspiring others with IDD. She was honored with the 2019 Self-Advocate of the Year Award by the Triangle Down Syndrome Network. Our success will be measured in the number of individuals with special abilities we hire and in their level of increased self-fulfillment in having a meaningful job and participation in our education programs. Gabi's Grounds Coffee and Gabi's PALS (Packaging,  Assembling, Labeling, Shipping) Website: https://www.gabisgrounds.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gabisgrounds/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/gabisgrounds YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_TXSCCgUN91y-W89GI09ew? #BrewingEmpowerment The Autistic Me: Blog: https://www.tameri.com/autisticme/ Podcast: https://autisticme.libsyn.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/autisticme/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/autisticme YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/CSWyatt LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/autisticme