Chris Brook greets customers with a smile as he takes their coffee and lunch orders. The 22-year-old moves with familiarity behind the counter, compiling receipts and punching the cash register at Museum Cafe 8, above Hong Kong’s Maritime Museum in Central. Brook was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder when he was younger.
He was recommended to apply for a job at the café by his alma mater, Hong Chi Morninghope School, which caters to students with intellectual disabilities. Museum Café 8 is a social enterprise by The Nesbitt Centre, a Hong Kong NGO dedicated to improving the lives of people with disabilities. The café is one of a handful of Hong Kong establishments that largely employs people diagnosed with learning disabilities, often in front-end roles where they interact with customers.
Ng, 28, a careers adviser at Hong Chi Morninghope School, described Brook as a detail-oriented person who was always at the “top level” in academic subjects. However, there was a limit to what he could learn at school. “[Ever since I began working], I’m much more confident,” says Brook.
“I feel more independent.” Museum Cafe 8 has 42 staff, four of whom are able-bodied. The employees sometimes also work at The Nest, also run by the Nesbitt Centre.
Surinder Punjya, executive director of The Nesbitt Centre, says that at the café the servers take responsibility for roles ranging from serving and seating customers to preparing coffee and food, and are the ones whom .