PJ’s Coffee recently hosted special education students for a fun, social event. About 20 special education students, who are working on real world learning, took a field trip with their teacher, Ms. Jessica, and walked from the high school to PJ’s, where they were served hot chocolate by PJ’s owner, Jill Nelson. They each were gifted a pumpkin from Nelson also.
Tucker Bryant at work
For Karen Bryant’s son, Tucker, who is in the class, the event was a special time because he loves anything social.
Bryant did most of the coordination between the school and PJ’s for the event.
“Tucker, my son with Down Syndrome, works there two hours a week, on the weekends, and has for two years now,” Bryant said. “Jill loves him and was very willing to be a part of a field trip for Apt 20. Apt 20 was set up for our kids to get real world learning. Our kids are in a self-contained special education classroom. Apt 20 is set up like a one-bedroom apartment for life-skill learning and application.”
Bryant works as Tucker’s job coach, and his work in the kitchen includes, washing dishes, making sandwiches, wiping tables and whatever else is asked. Bryant said her son flourishes at PJ’s and sometimes he passes food through the drive-through and to customers in the lobby, which she says he absolutely loves. Bryant’s role as his job coach includes helping him learn the work and what is expected.
“I am a true advocate for our kids with special needs,” Bryant said. “The school, as much as I love Platte County, is just now getting into involving our kids in and out of school. Field trips are few and far between currently, but we are hoping for change. Our kids need as much access as others. Currently NCC is a huge avenue for typical kids but there is nothing for our kids past Apt 20. There are so many resources already available, but again we are not getting access to them.”
Tucker is 18 and has been in Platte City since pre-k. He was born with a heart defect and underwent a whole heart repair in 2009, when it was his family’s only hope for his survival past teenage years.
Tucker loves to work at PJ’s. “He often tells me on the way to work, ‘I love work,’” Bryant said. “It is so important for him to love what he does. All the kids there know him, therefore they know him at school as well. It helps to make a true high school/work experience for him.”
Tucker loves his social time and being with his friends. “He high-fives everyone and calls them ‘Brah’, he is very likeable,” Bryant said.
He is in special Olympics, a member of the JV track team since freshman year, Farmers House Early Work Experience and will graduate this year but stay until he is 21 years old, which will give him more time to work on his academics and life skills for after-school life.
“PCHS is currently without an 18-21 program but is working on having something in place by next year, (currently the 18-21 graduated special education/self-contained student stays in the classroom as if they were still in school not graduated).” Bryant said.
Tucker said he loves his job, where he spends most of his paycheck on coffee outside of work. He likes making Beignets (a fried pastry) and he always has a smile on his face and tells everyone to have a nice day.
“He usually gets a Granita, no hot chocolate for him, he needs full caffeine,” Bryant said.
Bryant ran for her Platte County School Board seat because she wants to help improve ways that the high school can ensure that special education students are well educated and most importantly, prepared to find jobs.
“Inclusion is key and PC was lax in that,” Bryant said. “I am his (Tucker’s) voice when he doesn’t have one, and our kids, regardless of ability, deserve the same opportunities to be involved in school and job readiness as the next kid. They (the school district) are listening and are making strides, but it is slow.”
Bryant has served the community in different ways, from being a Boy Scout and Brownie leader, a little league basketball coach and a fund raiser for local charities. For her, being a school board member is an important way to give back to the community she and her family call home.
Bryant believes Nelson’s event at PJ’s helps make a better community for local kids.
“I wish more businesses around would open themselves to our kids,” Bryant said. “Bring them in, show them what their type of work entails. Each kid is unique and has different skills for which they excel. We need to be able to tap into that for success in our kids’ future.”
Community partners who will give kids access to different skills is something that Bryant believes is vital for the community.
“Jill has opened a door for Tucker. Is he the best employee, no, but he sure does bring a smile to everyone and he is always working and trying his best. That is all we want as parents of special needs kids. Don’t count them out, they are all unique and have a different skill set. We need to tap into our community to help us get access to those skills.
Tucker struggled to transition from class to class while in middle school. “There was a coffee cart put into place to help with transitions for our kids and it stuck,” Bryant said. “We had decided that coffee was his thing. We had talked for years and now that he is 18 and we are getting closer to that end game, we decided it was time to put the truck into play as it will take a few years of running it for him to have it down.
The Bryants have bought Tucker an old camper that they are converting into a coffee truck for him to work in and are hoping to have it converted by next spring/summer for him to serve coffee from, on his own. They are also working with PJ’s to serve their coffee from the camper.
“This will give Tucker more social experience and interaction as that is what he loves,” Bryant said. “We will make it all one size- one price (at first, and add as we go, but he needs to be able to do it, and we believe he can, (just on his time) so he can handle the customers, while we help more in the background. The saying it takes a village… it truly does with our kids.”