FEATURE
PHOTOGRAPHS BY BETH HONTZAS
The mission of Unless U Scoops is to provide vocational training for the students of Unless U in a safe and fun work environment, all while serving the community with the sweetest of skills.
How Sweet It Is
Students put their vocational training to work at Unless U Scoops, where customers get tasty treats and service with a smile. BY STEPHANIE GIBSON LEPORE “I have always had a heart for anyone with special needs,” says Lindy. “My parents said that even as a preschooler, I quickly began to pick up on the fact that Jordan wanted to do everything our oldest brother, Josh, and I could do, regardless of the task. He would get frustrated when he could not keep up the same pace or meet similar academic challenges.” As he sat crying in the hallway that day, Lindy thought about all that was before her: classes and games and dances and even something as simple as a shirt with her school name on it. “His heartache was so real,” she says. “And I kept 12 Bham Family September 2021
thinking, “Why do I get to do all these things and his option is to sit at home?” When I looked at Jordan, I didn’t see his Down Syndrome. I saw a big brother who just wanted to be like everyone else.” In 2011, Alabama ranked 46th among 50 states in spending on services for developmental disabilities. But Alabama is home to more than 350,000 adults between 18 and 64 with intellectual disabilities. While some can work a part-time or full-time job, many are on waiting lists for community services like day programs and recreational programs or job skill workshops. Others simply stay at home, where families must CONTINUED ON PAGE 13
