What happens when hospitality meets heart? At Courtyard Hotel Sandton, general manager Shelley Steel welcomed a group of adults with autism from Adult Programme for People with Autism (APP Autism) for a morning of learning in partnership with the Els for Autism foundation, showcasing the power of inclusion and community.
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) affect social interaction, communication, and behaviour, with each person’s abilities and needs unique. Some autistic adults live independently, while others require support to manage daily life, as impacted by their individual challenges and the care and opportunities available. Els for Autism works globally to transform lives through lifelong services and partnerships, while APP Autism provides adults locally with a supportive environment to build independence, confidence, and everyday skills.
After a training session at the Els for Autism Centre, seven young men, accompanied by trainers and facilitators, together with Yvette Young from APP Autism and Dave Arnold and Johann Coetser from sponsor Auto X, headed to Courtyard Hotel Sandton. There, they focused on essential hospitality skills that are also valuable in everyday life: making beds, folding towels, restocking beverage caddies, and preparing fruit kebabs.
Shelley and her team of housekeepers, chefs, and managers guided each participant personally, demonstrating tasks and supporting them as they learned at their own pace, engaged with others, and worked as a team.
Yvette Young, founder of APP Autism, says, “Our lifelong learning programme caters to adults with a range of verbal, intellectual and social abilities. The challenge is to find work and activities suitable for each adult, that meets their abilities and sensory issues. We are always looking for ways to keep our beneficiaries engaged and learning new skills every day.”
Reflecting on the day, Shelley Steel says, “We often take for granted that the world works in a way that makes sense to us. This was a wonderful opportunity to provide a safe space for these adults to learn hospitality skills. Once they tried folding towels, changing pillowcases, restocking tea and coffee stations, and threading kebabs in the kitchen, we all enjoyed a lunch in the restaurant, consisting of delicious chicken and beef burgers, juice, and fruit kebabs.”
Lindiwe Sangweni-Siddo, chief operating officer of City Lodge Hotels, adds, “Clearly the biggest achievement of the day was that the learning went both ways – we gained insight into working with adults with autism, deepened our understanding of the condition, and reinforced our commitment to ensuring people with autism are included in society. With roughly 1 in 100 children worldwide estimated to be on the spectrum, the more we can welcome and support these individuals as guests in our hotels and colleagues in our workforce, the more we all win.”
For more information on APP Autism or Els for Autism, go to www.appautism.org and www.elsforautism.org.
