Wayne's cup café and life skills centre, Markham, Ontario

"It's not about the coffee but the hands that serve it"

Wayne's cup is a fully operational café and life skills centre which focuses on the development of adults with special needs. We provide supportive training to develop their skills in all aspects of the running of a café as well as teaching life skills, while also delivering a fun working environment which promotes social interaction.

To provide a safe workplace environment that will deliver a real purpose and greater independence to the lives of adults with special needs.

Wayne's cup is a not-for-profit café and life skills centre in Markham, Ontario which is dedicated to the development of adults with special needs which includes, but is not limited to, autism spectrum disorder, asperger syndrome and developmental delay.

OUR STORY

My son Wayne was born with epilepsy and is developmentally delayed. As a result I left my job to focus on his development which included setting up a strict schedule with an emphasis on his speech and his understanding of language. With a great deal of repetition and perseverance Wayne has made tremendous strides in his development.

High quality special needs programs for adults over the age of twenty one are few and far between and although some may be lucky and find employment, the vast majority are left with little to do but sit and watch TV as life passes them by.

It is tremendously sad to watch your son, with no sense of belonging, watch as his sibling leaves school, goes to university and joins the workforce while his life remains at a standstill.

Wayne was fortunate to become a volunteer at his beloved Montessori School. This gave him a real sense a belonging and purpose to his life. It was this that led us to the idea of developing somewhere with a program where adults like Wayne could go, and the concept of Wayne's cup was born.