Dubai cafe empowers workers with Down syndrome through hands-on hospitality

Warm welcomes and trained staff show how inclusion thrives at 21 Cafe founded with family in mind

A bustling Dubai cafe staffed by a team of workers with Down syndrome is serving as a launch pad for a proud father's ambitious vision to empower those with the condition.

Indian owner Raghu Raman Dhandapani opened 21 Cafe, in Al Ghurair Centre in Deira, in honour of his son, who has Down syndrome in an effort to champion inclusivity.

The venue employs four people with the disability, who provide a warm and enthusiastic welcome to customers taking a break from retail therapy at the shopping centre in search of their caffeine fix.

“Mr Dhandapani, wanted to open a cafe for his son, and then decided to support all the Down syndrome’s community,” said Mathew John, operations manager at the cafe.

“We recruited four individuals with Down syndrome, and we have staff guiding and teaching them.”

Mr John said the owner is keen to establish a chain of coffee shops run by people with Down syndrome.

“The cafe wants to support them in order to achieve independence. With Dubai our base, we dream of taking this vision worldwide,” he said.

“Customers are excited and happy to get the products from the hands of our staff. People with Down syndrome are very welcoming and energetic.”

Service with a smile

Qais Abdulsalam enjoys the independence granted to him by his job as a barista. Antonie Robertson / The National

When The National visited 21 Cafe, barista Qais Abdulsalam was moving from table to table, serving coffee with a steady hand and a warm smile.

The Syrian, 18, who is among the staff members with Down syndrome, relishes the opportunity to maintain his independence.

“I like to work and always wanted to have a job,” Mr Abdulsalam told The National.

“I make and serve coffee in the shop. People are very friendly and smile to me when bringing them coffee or food.”

Mr Abdulsalam was the friendly face greeting customers on the busy morning shift, along with Alaa Ali, 21, from Jordan.

Abdulsalam Taha, 67, Qais's father, told The National that his son was only four when they arrived in the UAE, escaping conflict in their home city of Aleppo.

“I’m proud of Qais. It is a big achievement for him. I see him now as a productive person in society,” Mr Taha said.

“He is super happy and always talking about opening his own business in the future. He is a caring person, and we are supporting him with his job.”

Ms Ali said the best part of the day is when she is working at the cafe and dealing with the public.

“Speaking with people and learning a job is the best. People are kind and smile with me,” she said.

“I love Dubai as it has opportunities for people of determination.”

The staff were professionally trained through the Emirates Down Syndrome Association.

What is Down syndrome?

Down syndrome is caused by a person having an extra copy of one of the 23 pairs of chromosomes in the human body, that being chromosome 21.

The number 21 is represented in the name of the cafe, helping to raise awareness and deepen understanding of the condition.

Chromosomes are threadlike gene structures in the body's cells, which determine how we function.

This extra chromosome changes how the brain and body develops. People with Down syndrome often have developmental challenges, such as being slower to learn to speak.

Distinct physical signs of Down syndrome are usually present at birth and become more apparent as the baby grows.

Most people with Down syndrome have cognitive delays that are mild to moderate, the US-based National Down Syndrome Society says on its website.

“Although each person with Down syndrome is a unique individual and may possess these characteristics to different degrees, or not at all,” the society says.