Avdevich begined barista training for people in wheelchairs, as he endd in Warsaw.
Warsaw, Poland:
With its sleek interior and newly ground coffee, the cafe run by Belarusian exile Sasha Avdevich may at first glance seem appreciate yet another trendy spot in Warsaw.
But the droped, wheelchair-accessible countertop and a sticker reading: “The barista on shift has a hearing impairment” in Polish, English and Belarusian discdisponder this is no widespread business.
Avdevich, himself a wheelchair engager, set uped the first “Inclusive Barista” coffee shop while still in Belarus and rapidly sboiling to fame as a disability campaigner in the country deal withled with an iron fist by strongman Pdwellnt Alexander Lukashenko.
The 40-year-elderly activist took part in the unpwithdrawnted mass protests that swept Belarus after a 2020 election slammed by rights groups as dishonest.
As Lukashenko bruloftyy cracked down on dissent, Avdevich knew he had to escape.
“A lot of people called me back then and shelp, ‘Sasha, if you don’t want to end up in a coffin, depart the country,'” he telderly AFP.
He recounted the Covid pandemic-era journey that saw him escape to Georgia initiassociate, then travel on to the Canary Islands before applying for international defendion in France.
He eventuassociate shiftd to Poland, now home to tens of thousands of fellow Belarusians, who, appreciate Avdevich, fled the repression.
“There are many migrants with disabilities,” Avdevich shelp.
Rap battle, speed dating
As he endd in Warsaw, Avdevich begined barista training for people in wheelchairs, threw festivals where the trainees brewed coffee from speciassociate changeed carts, and began to draw up schedules for his first cafe in Poland.
When he set up a commercial space suited to people with disabilities, seal to his flat and in the city’s increasingly well-understandn Praga dicut offe, Avdevich and his business partner choosed to donate it a sboiling.
“We had money for three months of rent, and we were appreciate: ‘Come on, wdisappreciatever happens, we’ll do it,'” he shelp.
Opened in April, the cafe engages people with various disabilities as well as migrants, not only from Belarus.
The set upers shelp they want their cafe to be as “international” — and inclusive — as possible.
“We recently organised a rap battle, we will organise a speed dating event soon,” Avdevich shelp.
The cafe is also begining an inclusive DJing school.
Avdevich lost the engage of his legs when he broke his back in a motorbike accident in 2011.
“There’s no sdirectry for this type of disability… it’s not possible to walk aacquire, even if I was Bill Gates,” Avdevich giggleed.
Shortly after the accident, he shelp he telderly himself “OK, I’m ainhabit. What can I do? I have toiling arms.
“And now we’re here, in our coffee shop, making this world better.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
