CoSpire Café, a Community Inclusion and Development Alliance (CIDA) project, opened its doors in Bayside at 36-28 Bell Blvd. on Saturday, June 27. CIDA is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing access to various programs and services to adults with disabilities and their families. In 2022, they created a job readiness program to provide skill-building opportunities to participants, and CoSpire Café is the newest component of that program. It is a fully licensed food service business, allowing employees to gain experience in an environment similar to other restaurants. Offerings include various kinds of coffee, fresh pastries and cookies. Previously, the same space was utilized by CIDA’s job readiness program as an environment to practice retail scenarios, but this past year, they took the step to transition into a New York City restaurant, executive director of CIDA Young Seh Bae explained. This move allows CIDA to give participants more hands-on, tangible experiences that they can transfer to the job market. “We teach multiple skills related to jobs they can find in the community. That’s how we begin,” Bae said. At CoSpire Café, they aim to train a cohort of 25 students each year, providing adults with disabilities the chance to enter the job market when they are otherwise disregarded by many employers. Bae explained, “Some of the individuals with significant disabilities graduate high school without a diploma. That creates a lot of problems for this individual finding a job. So that’s one of the core reasons that we wanted to have our own program. We know the challenges and barriers.” CoSpire Café gives participants the opportunity to grow in an inclusive, accepting space. Among the skills they learn are serving customers, cleaning and sales techniques, all of which help them to ultimately work independently. Bae clarified that the purpose of CoSpire