WILLIAMSTOWN, Ky. (LEX 18) — “Here we decide that this is going to be a wonderful positive atmosphere for everybody,” said Rachelle Morse, the owner of Kentucky Y’all Icebox.
She appreciates everything that makes her ice cream shop special.
“I love that there's a different layer to my business,” she added.
She’s not talking about the retro theme her business displays or the sweet treats scattered around the store. She's talking about the job opportunities that she provides to people with disabilities.
“Most people are so excited to hear the news, or like okay, I have to process this information. But it does draw a very special crowd of people who do believe in inclusivity,” Morse said.
This vision comes from Morse’s mother, Mona Lazarus. For over two decades, she dedicated her life to assisting people with disabilities as a special education teacher.
“Almost everybody I speak to, they have a family member, somebody they go to church with, a neighbor, somebody that they know, with special needs, who would love to be an integral part of the community,” Lazarus said.
Now, as the director of DREAM Grant County, her goal is to continue to create opportunities for people with special needs across the county.
“If I have that person and all they can do is clap and wave, I want to be able to design a job for them,” Lazarus added.
The mother-daughter duo identified that while special education classes are offered in schools, special needs students often lack the skills needed for the working world.
They hope the ice cream shop can be a proving ground.
“There’s this great need, lack of resources, and of course, people aren’t going to understand our program, until they see it working,” Morse said. “But it is such a simple concept. just people to work in your business."
People are now included in the joy that serving an ice cream cone brings.
