When you first discover our shop you might just see a busy little cupcake shop in the heart of Ryrie St, but when you dig deeper you will see we are so, so much more than cupcakes!

We teach and support young people who have a disability to gain workplace skills and experience, through real hands on experience. Everything we do at Baked by Us is to support the people who work here- the delicious cupcakes and treats that people line up for, and sell out of on most days is just a bonus!

Instead of Baked by Us functioning as typical work place who only cater to the neurotypical workforce. Baked by us was built from the foundations up, to not only accommodate the individuals parameters of those people living with a disability. But to celebrate what they can bring to our workplace.

I, Jess (founder/director) is a Autistic woman, who for most of my life spent time working in places that didn’t understand what it is to be an Autistic person. With the expectations of those workplaces geared towards neurotypical people placed on me, it neglected to acknowledge the difficulties I faced as a Autistic person in my day to day life, including their workplace.

With those expectations places, in a broader sense for other people living with a disability, it neglects to understand that everyone learns, processes and moves through the world in the same way. Which is the leading force of why I opened Baked by Us. Here we accommodate and most importantly celebrate these differences.

This support ranges from person to person. A example of this support. Instead of the expectation that each everyone here can read, write and tender cash. Baked by Us uses visuals to label boxes or give direction. Visuals on our till instead of written cues, and a EFT only checkout, allows for our staff to use the tills independently without assistance to calculate items or count back change, building that confidence in the process.

One of the other best examples I could use is, me! I could spend forever talking about the disadvantages I faced in the workforce over the past 10 years, instead lets focus on how making those adjustments changed my own life. I was never able to keep a job or move forward in a company, but now those things that held me back for so long are the things that make me and Baked by Us what is is today! And I couldn’t be prouder of what all of us have achieved here in the past 4 years.

The main goal has and always will be to bring the people we support a greater sense of purpose, belonging and sense of community that they may not find elsewhere.