Human Inclusive

Despite living in a neurodiverse world, traditional hiring processes don’t support building neurodiverse teams. On this episode of Human Inclusive, Christopher and Lia flew to Colorado to meet the people behind a mission to help companies be intentionally inclusive for more neurodiverse teams. We’ll meet Lauren Burgess, serial entrepreneur, CEO and Founder of Dirt Coffee and its apprenticeship program, and Cody Hemmen, General Manager and visionary behind piloting the internship with the flagship DSW Shoe Warehouse in Park Meadow, CO. The internship at Dirt Coffee was originally created by Emily Wallace, Co-founder and Director of Employment.

In a time when unemployment hovers under 4%, why are we seeing 80% of adults with autism unemployed? Specifically in this story, in Colorado, a state that enjoys a lower unemployment rate than the national average, currently sitting under 3% sees a higher than national average of adults with autism, unemployed at a rate of 90%. In this episode, hear about the impact of the partnership between Dirt Coffee and DSW from three individuals -- Andy and Rachel who are DSW apprentices, and Robby who is a Manager at Dirt coffee who participated in the apprenticeship program. We’ll learn more about motivation for these two organizations to work together to move the needle on hiring neurodivergent folks and building neurodiverse teams inclusive of all cognitive functioning.

Show Notes

Cody Hemmen on Instagram @Denvershoeguy
Dirt Coffee
Garden, Inc.
Dirt Coffee on Instagram @Dirtcoffeebar
Dirt Coffee’s Traveling Group on Instagram @the.traveling.gnomes
Garden, Inc on Instagram @GardenInc
Lauren Burgess on Instagram @LaurenBurgessCO

What is Human Inclusive?

The human inclusive podcast curates stories of diverse populations while amplifying voices of marginalized communities.

We also take a peek into the lives of our allies as they share their experiences in an effort to help communities build empathy and compassion for coexistence. Hear about the stigmas and the challenges that need to be addressed.

We evaluate systemic issues in the workplace that affect disadvantaged or underserved communities and extract learnings that can be used to better include communities outside of your own.

Join us as we learn how each of us can be a part of the change we want to see. We are human inclusive.