These businesses support the livelihood of individuals or groups of people with special needs. This holiday season, consider purchasing gifts from these shops. You’ll love the beautiful work and knowing you’re making a difference. For more shops, check out the Shop From Special Needs Businesses Facebook group.
This guide and other special needs and adaptive resources on Indy with Kids are sponsored by Carmel Clay Parks and Recreation.
Carmel Clay Parks and Recreation has the philosophy that ALL programs are inclusive. You’ll find adaptive programs but with notice, any program at CCPR can be adapted so anyone and everyone can participate.
Local bakery that provides job training and employs people with autism to make really delicious gluten and dairy treats! The owner’s son hoped to be a chef in a restaurant and his support team and mother have worked to make that happen! Also, excited to report that No Label at the Table signed a lease on a storefront on Main Street in the Carmel Arts & Design District. For now you can order cookies, pies, bread, muffins and cupcakes online!
Emes Army
Beautiful Swarovski crystal brailled ornaments handmade by a mother and her blind daughter Eme. She enjoys doing all of the braille translation, making boxes and preparing shipments.
Company based in Chicago that collaborates with people with disabilities from around the world to put their artistic creations on everything from shirts, phone cases, and stickers, to pillows, totes and shower curtains. Easily get to know the artists with links to their bios under each product.
Spacerobot Studio
Autistic-run business selling a variety of fun and funky communication necklaces, stim jewelry, as well as vibrant knitwear. They also donate 10% of all sales to ASAN the Autistic Self Advocacy Group.
Lovely bracelets handmade by a mother and daughter team. The mother, Karen designs and her daughter, Kelly assembles them. Kelly is also a speaker/presenter for the National Association for Down Syndrome.
Father and son owned business inspired by John’s love of fun socks, or what he calls “crazy socks”! You will find socks for literally everyone on your list with over 1,200 to choose from. Favorites include the down syndrome love socks to the cat-lovers box, the dad jokes socks and of course the many craft beer socks.
Journey to Jacob’s Ladder
Journey to Jacob’s LadderShelly’s son Jacob helps her make lovely natural soaps, lip balms, and autism awareness products. His mom Shelly started the business to equip and train him in a variety of employment skills. All of the soaps are made with organic ingredients, and are sulfate and paraben free.
Selling lovely all natural skincare, lip balms, butters, and highly recommended natural deodorant. Hopes to also employ others with disabilities someday.
Blind from birth, Gerry, has refused to let sightlessness keep him from his dream of being a master coffee roaster. Whenever possible the unseen bean orders organic, shade-tree grown, fair-trade hard Arabica beans. Buy bags of whole bean coffee from the worlds only blind coffee roaster.
a mother daughter duo that creates custom items, you name it, they are on it! Custom printing on stuffed animals, pillows, totes and shirts to name a few. Missee Foster and her daughter on the spectrum enjoy running this small business together.
Beautiful pipes and wooden jewelry that are lovingly handcrafted. Travis lost his sight in 2010 due to a neurological disease and began hand-carving pipes in 2011. They truly are a work of art.
Sells cookie mixes, soups and bread mixes and more. Patrick hasn’t let cerebral palsy stop him from using an assistive device to do all of the measuring that goes into his mixes. These gift able mixes all come in re-usable water bottles!
Alicia MacDonald is a mother of two little ladies, Georgia (5) and Isla (3) and a wife to a pretty rad husband, Tyler. Alicia worked as ABA Therapist for 4 years serving kids with autism and now works part-time at IUPUI. Her daughter Georgia lost most of her sight last year due to a brain tumor, but finds her way with a smile! Seeing the special needs community learn, make, sell, and find fulfillment in a world not always made for them, is seriously the best.
