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Paula Fasciano, a Warminster native and longtime insurance broker, founded Bake Ability in 2020 in Buckingham Green Shopping Center to support neurodivergent individuals — especially her two sons, who live with Fragile X syndrome.
The bakery offers both sweet and savory items, from chocolate croissants to gluten-free peanut butter cookies, all crafted by people with different abilities under professional mentorship, according to the Bucks County Herald. The team includes participants like Julia Anne Shirey, who also designs jewelry and supports causes like The Next Step Programs with her proceeds.
Fasciano’s mission is rooted in addressing the 85% unemployment rate among developmentally disabled adults, whom she believes have been "over-therapied" rather than offered meaningful employment, according to the article.
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(Credit: Google Maps)She said in the report that many in this community are capable and eager to work, and they deserve opportunities for independence, pride, and community engagement. The bakery’s success shows that a neurodiverse workforce can enrich local businesses and neighborhoods, per the report.
A key partner in the effort is The Next Step Programs (TNS), which is celebrating its 10th anniversary by launching a Marketplace in Doylestown.
This initiative aims to create affordable housing, retail spaces, job training, and social programs designed around inclusion and empowerment for individuals with intellectual disabilities, according to the Bucks County Herald. Both Fasciano and TNS hope the model will be scalable and inspire similar partnerships elsewhere.
(Credit: Google Maps)Bake Ability remains open to collaboration, catering events and stocking healthy options in local venues. As Fasciano says, the goal is to celebrate neurodiversity in the workforce and build a replicable community model where everyone benefits.
