Watch: Turkish café serves cakes, coffee and workplace inclusivity

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A unique group of people is hard at work in a quaint café in the Üsküdar region of Istanbul, Türkiye. Emrah Kuru greets customers and waits on tables. He is one of 11 staff members at Tebessüm Café with Down's Syndrome. The genetic condition varies in severity and is known for causing lifelong intellectual disability. Down syndrome also carries developmental and physical characteristics.

Emrah started working at the café eight years ago, but employment opportunities are scarce elsewhere for people with Down's Syndrome. In 2018, only two per cent of people with Down's Syndrome found regular employment, according to a survey by the European Down's Syndrome Association. The association compiled responses from 17 countries, including Türkiye.

People with Down's Syndrome typically face some physical and developmental challenges. However, Tebessüm Café project coordinator Sermin Çoban has found that assigning suitable duties based on their abilities works best for them and their customers.

Sermin told SCENES that society generally has limited ideas on how people with Down's Syndrome can participate in everyday life. According to Sermin, this stigma prevents them from getting jobs.

Tebessüm Café champions inclusivity. The café has changed Emrah's and his colleagues' lives. Inadvertently, it is also changing society's perspective of people with Down's Syndrome as it enables direct interactions between people from various walks of life.