Acceptance, Inclusion and Bakewell Tarts (all the best things!)
- jendot1978
- May 17, 2024
- 2 min read
We loved this post on social media from Spectrum Sloth so much that we wanted to share it. It’s a perfect example of how the small, day-to-day acts of understanding and kindness can really make a difference to neurodivergent people and their families. Spectrum Sloth is an Autistic Advocate who shares in her biog that she is:
“Late diagnosed autistic. Mama bear. Ace. Cats. Languages. Sparkly things. Trains. Memes. She/her”. Spectrum Sloth’s page and other posts can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/spectrumsloth
It’s a long story, but definitely worth a read. Spectrum Sloth shared:
“A lovely thing happened today.
Maybe the person who did the lovely thing hasn’t given it a second thought, but it has made me smile all afternoon.
As some of you may know, one of my kiddos has struggles with food. He has some ‘safe’ foods and one of those is Bakewell Tarts from Costa. It’s not something he can eat often, but he likes one as a treat maybe every couple of weeks.
Often there are different people serving, but one time a few weeks ago I went in, and there was a lovely lady taking orders. There were a few on display, but the one on the top was covered in some crumbs, and I knew my little dude wouldn’t be able to eat it. I had to rehearse in my head what to say as I stood in the queue, but when I went to ask for a Bakewell Tart ‘but not the one on the top, as it has crumbs on it and my son won’t be able to eat it,’ she gave a HUGE smile, said ‘no problem at all’, and rooted around to find the smoothest one.
She didn’t make me feel like I was asking anything unusual, and her very positive attitude has actually given me more confidence to ask for such things in other shops (like ‘could I have that one with no burnt bits on’, or ‘that one looks a bit flat, could I have a less flat one please?’ for other bakery items). In the past I would have just hoped for the best!
Anyway fast forward to today and I popped to Costa for the usual Bakewell Tart, and it was the same person again. She recognised me straight away… ‘Cherry Bakewell to take away?’ she asked. ‘Yes please!’ says I.
‘And I presume without crumbs on it?’
And immediately she went looking for the nicest and smoothest Bakewell Tart she could find. I didn’t have to ask her - she remembered, and went out of her way to accommodate my son’s needs.
She doesn’t know he’s autistic.
She doesn’t know he has ARFID.
She doesn’t know us at all!
But she saw a need, and just tried to help as best she could.
I thanked her so much and left with a huge smile on my face. Imagine if more people were like this? The world would be a very different place for all of us.
[Image of a Bakewell Tart, which is an English pastry, with icing sugar and a cherry on the top. Text reads: Sometimes acceptance and inclusion isn’t about huge gestures. It’s in the kindness, compassion and understanding we show people every day.]”
