Alexandra "Sasha" McGee and Connor Miller

Cumming, Georgia (Senate District 27)

On a bright, breezy Wednesday in spring, Sasha clocks in, while Connor wipes down tables. These two vibrant young adults are co-workers at SliceAbility, a restaurant staffed by people with disabilities in Cumming, Georgia.

 (Story continues below after slideshow.) 

Alexandra “Sasha” McGee is a 21-year-old woman who has autism and Tourette syndrome. She works up to twenty hours per week as part of the "Slice Squad," a group of employees who are determined, through observation and conversation, to be able to work independently. Sasha most often serves as a cashier, prepares the salad bar, takes food to tables, etc. She has been with SliceAbility since it opened in May2023. “In my last work environment, it didn't feel so welcoming,” Sasha explains. “Or I didn’t feel involved with other people, my other co-workers. I didn't really get to talk to anyone, except for the managers and whatnot.” When anxiety takes over, Sasha can start to have a bad day, meaning words get a bit harder to find. She might close her eyes and say “sorry” a few times before she lands on what she’s trying to say. Here at SliceAbility, though, there’s lots of encouragement, which leads to more good days than bad. Good days involve lots of laughing, team work, and a hug before going home.

Sasha’s co-worker, Connor Miller, is a 23-year-old student at the University of North Georgia. He has cerebral palsy due to being born premature. He was 3.2 pounds at birth and was in the ICU for more than a month after he was born. Connor’s mother, Connie, says that a dorsal rhizotomy changed everything for her son, who could barely speak or walk until he was three. The procedure involves opening up the back and systematically testing and severing nerves in order to help a person regain control of their limbs. It was grueling for Connor to go through the eight-hour surgery at such a young age, not to mention for Connie to watch her son remain strapped down for three days while he healed, unaware of the importance of what was happening to him.

Connor’s works as a cashier 15-25 hours a week, but he says he’s really more of a coach. He spent a lot of time in high school coaching sports teams, so he’s very comfortable working with people in this capacity. Like any good coach, Connor is great at talking about team dynamics, how you have to draw out people’s strengths. While his cerebral palsy sometimes prevents him from doing some parts of restaurant prep work, his best strengths come into play here: “If someone needs help making a pizza. I can walk them through, step by step. Sauce, then whatever toppings they choose, then ‘cheese it,’” he says with a smile. “They do the physical, and I help with mentally getting it all done–in order.” For Connor, a good leader doesn’t take things personally and keeps the needs of the whole team in mind. He’s had a few bad days as well. Sometimes he doesn’t like to admit his legs are getting tired, which can lead to a fall. 

SliceAbility was created by Jeni Smith, a special education teacher, who also co-owns nearby Rosati’s Pizza with her husband. Rosati’s had employed many people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and welcomed Community-Based Vocational Instruction field trips for years. Jeni started to formulate the idea to bring all of it together in a new way: “Originally I thought this was like the end all, be all,” Jeni reflects. “Now I'm realizing that I need this to be a launching pad and more of a training facility.” She talks about how her employees gain confidence and transferable skills that they can then take on to other jobs; she’s even created a certificate program. “If they were to go to an interview,” Jeni says, “they might not be able to vocalize and really stand out in an interview, but they would be able to say that somebody else signed off on that I know all these skills in a restaurant, because every restaurant needs all these people there.” When they were in the process of getting set up, the health inspector expressed a lot of doubts. “I’m gonna come check on you,” he told her. When he came back, however, the inspector was stunned at how clean, organized, and well-run SliceAbility had become. They got a 100 health rating, which is very hard to achieve.

Both Sasha and SliceAbility had an unexpected opportunity to put themselves on the map not long after they opened. The Netflix show, Love on the Spectrum, was in the area filming an episode where people with autism shared their quests for love. Sasha had gone to a local speed dating event for people with ASD. She was very surprised to run into an old co-worker from her previous job. Interestingly, his name is also Connor, but not the Connor from our story. They hit it off and wound up going on a second date in a subsequent episode. Sadly, their relationship did not continue, although Sasha says that is perfectly fine. She’s got plenty on her plate for now. Sasha especially loves spending a lot of time when she’s not at work with her dogs, Dax & Lexie. Lexie is a one-year-old border collie, so she is fun with all that “puppy energy” and a whole basket full of toys she likes to drag out. 

Sasha says she was very nervous at first about being filmed, but she was just reflecting on the opportunity again recently, and she would be open to doing something like it again in the future. Connor, on the other hand, has no reservations. He loves to put himself out there in all sorts of ways. He has a podcast and  just like his philosophy of coaching, it’s all about possibilities, highlighting people’s strengths. In fact, the tagline says, “You can make your life whatever you want, no matter what obstacle you may face.”

Writer: Shannon M. Turner, Photographer: Haylee Anne