Brewery and pizzeria offers work, skills, events for disabled community

By Emily Baker

Ability is a term that most people take for granted. As a former special education teacher and adult services worker, however, Tiffany Fixter saw firsthand the challenges that differently abled people experience every day. She created Brewability with the hopes of changing that.

Brewability is a brewery and pizza shop (called Pizzability) on South Broadway in Englewood. The mission of the restaurant is simple: inclusivity. The space and business operations are designed around accessibility for anyone, regardless of ability.

Today, 26 members of the Brewability staff have intellectual or developmental disabilities. Beyond that, Fixter wants everyone to feel welcome and comfortable in her restaurant.

“We’re trying to provide what our customer base might need for anybody that might walk or roll through our doors,” she says.

In order to facilitate this, the list of adaptive improvements to the business is endless. To name just a few, they have flattened the entryway to make the building wheelchair accessible, the taps for the beers are color-coded to make ordering and pouring brews easier, and adaptive utensils allow people with disabilities to dine independently.

Beyond that, Brewability hosts countless events to provide a safe and fun environment for differently abled people. On any given day at the brewery, you can find anything from ASL classes to adaptive Muay Thai, to disability dating.

“You’re welcome here, you’re safe here,” is what Fixter wants people to know. They recently had a band perform as part of a fundraiser for The Wayfaring Band. “People with autism were spinning around in front of the stage,” Fixter says. The day before, a blind musician performed and the entire room had visual impairments.

Fixter’s dedication to supporting persons with disabilities does not end there, however. Brewability does Friday field trips through the Daniels Fund to help educate people about working in the service industry and provide them with possible job opportunities. They offer general hygiene, lessons on how to get and keep a job, and teach them how to make their own pizza. Then, depending on the age of the attendee, they practice interview skills.

The business of running Brewability is not always easy, however. Inflation has taken its toll on the entire restaurant industry. “Costs are up at least 3 times, and a day that should be a $3,000 day right now is a $300 day instead,” Fixter says. They just wrapped up a Honeycomb Credit crowdfunding campaign to support the business

The best way to support Brewability today? “Come eat and drink!” Fixter says. They are constantly having events for the customers, including drag bingo every other Friday.

Keep an eye out for all the amazing things coming soon from Brewability too. They are currently filming a documentary, finalizing plans for their food truck, developing a catering arm of the business, and working on a plan to roll out their Adaptive Dining kits for use and purchase by other restaurants. For more information or to check out their calendar of events, visit their website.

Emily Baker is a Denver native and lifelong resident of the metro area. With a background in classics and education, she has been a writer for most of her life, including multiple online and print publications.