What Started With Concern for Her Son’s Future Became a Mission to Employ Others With Autism

What started with concern for her son's future became a mission to employ others with autism. This story warms my heart as a mama with kids on the spectrum. Friend, this is the kind of news that makes you set your phone down and just smile for a minute. 

Mom Worries About Her Son’s Future With Autism

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Aparna Bangur of London, England, was lying awake worrying about her 14-year-old son, Aarav, who has autism, and wondering how he would one day make a living. Instead of letting that worry have the last word, she turned it into a calling.

Aparna works full-time as a marketing and creative strategist during the day, but in the evenings she runs Pizza Party, a business she launched in April to train and employ people with autism. She chose pizza on purpose. "It works really well with people on the spectrum because you can create clear stations, and it's very teachable," Aparna said. She added that pizza already brings her whole household together, so it simply felt right to build something joyful and welcoming around it.

Pizza Party Creates Job Opportunities for People With Autism

She funded the venture herself and started in a small delivery-only kitchen so she could begin quickly and keep costs low. "Good things shouldn't be delayed," Aparna said. Rather than a charity, she set up Pizza Party as a community interest company, a business whose profits go back into benefiting the community, and she keeps the menu affordable, with pizzas starting at around $11.

Sales through delivery apps have been challenging, and Aparna is honest about it, but she keeps going. She is preparing to welcome three trainees with autism, hoping to offer them full-time jobs and, one day, move into a permanent restaurant of their own. Her bigger dream is that other employers would follow her lead. "You have to dig deeper, you have to allow more time," Aparna said.

Her Bigger Dream Is to Inspire More Inclusive Employment

This right here is what it looks like to be the hands and feet of Jesus. No stage. No spotlight. Just a mother who took her worry to the kitchen and came back with a table where everyone belongs.

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Her advice to other parents walking this road is simple. "To not give up, you have to keep trying," Aparna said.

"Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth." 1 John 3:18

What Started With Concern for Her Son’s Future Became a Mission to Employ Others With Autism

Mom of Teen with Autism Runs Pizza Business in Her Spare Time to Create Job Opportunities for Others with the Condition https://t.co/MkeuJSdkZ8

— People (@people) October 4, 2026

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h/t: People

Featured Image Credit: Twitter/X/PEOPLE

Heather Riggleman is a believer, wife, mom, author, social media consultant, and full-time writer. She lives in Minden, Nebraska with her kids, high school sweetheart, and three cats who are her entourage around the homestead. She is a former award-winning journalist with over 2,000 articles published. She is full of grace and grit, raw honesty, and truly believes tacos can solve just about any situation. You can find her on GodUpdates, iBelieve, Crosswalk, Hello Darling, Focus On The Family, and in Brio Magazine. Connect with her at www.HeatherRiggleman.com or on Facebook.