Amy Wright, founder and CEO of Bitty & Beau's Coffee, employs 40 people living with intellectual and developmental disabilities ranging from Down syndrome to autism to cerebral palsy. Her efforts landed her on the list of <a href="index.php?page=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnn.com%2Fvideos%2Ftv%2F2017%2F11%2F01%2Fcnn-heroes-top-10-reveal-orig-mc.cnn">top 10 CNN Heroes for 2017</a>. Click through the gallery for more information and photos.
Amy Wright, founder and CEO of Bitty & Beau's Coffee, employs 40 people living with intellectual and developmental disabilities ranging from Down syndrome to autism to cerebral palsy. Her efforts landed her on the list of top 10 CNN Heroes for 2017. Click through the gallery for more information and photos.
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Wright helps employees Jesse Guillaume (left) and Elizabeth Johnson fill coffee bean bags at the shop on a Monday in November 2017. Bitty & Beau's Coffee is known as "The Happiest Place in Wilmington," but that's not just because of its mochas and lattes -- at the heart of this North Carolina coffee shop's popularity is its unique staff.
Wright helps employees Jesse Guillaume (left) and Elizabeth Johnson fill coffee bean bags at the shop on a Monday in November 2017. Bitty & Beau's Coffee is known as "The Happiest Place in Wilmington," but that's not just because of its mochas and lattes -- at the heart of this North Carolina coffee shop's popularity is its unique staff.
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Guillaume, left, and fellow worker Matt Dean joke with one another. The shop opened in January 2016 and immediately had lines out the door. National press attention followed, and six months later, it had to move to a larger space.
Guillaume, left, and fellow worker Matt Dean joke with one another. The shop opened in January 2016 and immediately had lines out the door. National press attention followed, and six months later, it had to move to a larger space.
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Guillaume, left, and Johnson share a moment. In addition to the 40 employees who live with disabilities, Bitty & Beau's employs two managers who are trained in special education. "Our wait time is no longer than any of our competitors," Wright said. "They've all gotten really good at their jobs and step up if somebody else needs help."<br />
Guillaume, left, and Johnson share a moment. In addition to the 40 employees who live with disabilities, Bitty & Beau's employs two managers who are trained in special education. "Our wait time is no longer than any of our competitors," Wright said. "They've all gotten really good at their jobs and step up if somebody else needs help."
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Sometimes, the shop's staff takes a 'dance break'. Here, their conga line is joined by Wright's two youngest children, Bitty, 7, and Beau, 12, who both have Down syndrome. When Wright and her husband discovered that 70% of those with intellectual disabilities don't have jobs, they opened the coffee shop to do something about it.
Sometimes, the shop's staff takes a 'dance break'. Here, their conga line is joined by Wright's two youngest children, Bitty, 7, and Beau, 12, who both have Down syndrome. When Wright and her husband discovered that 70% of those with intellectual disabilities don't have jobs, they opened the coffee shop to do something about it.
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Wright helps her daughter Bitty, 7, wipe down the counter at Bitty & Beau's. "When Beau was born, we were thrust into the world of special needs. So we've been trying to advocate in different ways since then, and that intensified after (we had) Bitty. But it's so hard to get people to change their perceptions. It felt like we were swimming upstream. People are scared of what they don't know, so that's why we've decided to live out loud and to show people what our lives are like."
Wright helps her daughter Bitty, 7, wipe down the counter at Bitty & Beau's. "When Beau was born, we were thrust into the world of special needs. So we've been trying to advocate in different ways since then, and that intensified after (we had) Bitty. But it's so hard to get people to change their perceptions. It felt like we were swimming upstream. People are scared of what they don't know, so that's why we've decided to live out loud and to show people what our lives are like."
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Employee Jesse Guillaume collects customer quotes on why they like the coffee shop. "You are the reason why people love this place," writes one observer.
Employee Jesse Guillaume collects customer quotes on why they like the coffee shop. "You are the reason why people love this place," writes one observer.
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Johnson, right, says goodbye to customer Tracy Johns and her son Cole. The employees at Bitty & Beau's Coffee are what make the place special, customers say. Creating opportunities for them to interact with each other and the public is empowering, Wright contends. "It's more than a cup of coffee," she said. "It's a human rights movement."<br />
Johnson, right, says goodbye to customer Tracy Johns and her son Cole. The employees at Bitty & Beau's Coffee are what make the place special, customers say. Creating opportunities for them to interact with each other and the public is empowering, Wright contends. "It's more than a cup of coffee," she said. "It's a human rights movement."
Krisanne Johnson/Getty Images for CNN