GREAT BARRINGTON — It’s right in the name: “ExtraSpecialTeas” is no ordinary tea shop. Indeed, this is a place where young adults can be themselves, embrace what makes them unique and find purpose and a sense of family outside their homes. And if that’s not enough: Where else in Berkshire County are you going to find blue tea? A very unscientific poll found that the house-blended bright blue brew, called “Blue Skies,” is a favorite among the employees at ExtraSpecialTeas. As employee Lindsay Blagg explained, it gets its unique hue from blue butterfly pea flower, and is a tribute to the Willie Nelson song “Blue Skies,” in honor of co-founder Cherri Sanes’ home state of Texas. “It's just like a beautiful buttery pea flower color. It's just so pretty,” Blagg said Saturday at the nonprofit’s Housatonic tea room and cafe, at 2 Pleasant St., next to the railroad trestle. Blue was the color of the day for the nonprofit’s ninth birthday party on Saturday afternoon. With employees and guests wearing shades of blue in honor of Autism Acceptance Month, the shop celebrated with live music, a raffle, some heartwarming testimonials from its employees and supporters, and plenty of tea and snacks. “We also call it our blue party because it's in celebration of autism acceptance and understanding,” said Cherri Sanes, who co-founded the nonprofit with her husband Scott. Sanes explained her son Jache, 32, who has autism spectrum disorder, was her inspiration for ExtraSpecialTeas. The cafe offers those with autism spectrum disorder, Down syndrome and other developmental disabilities and sight and hearing impairment a place to work and be a part of a larger community. “We believe that they have a place in the community, and we work to find those ways and just bring out everyone's talents,” Sanes said. At its Housatonic and Elm street, Great Barrington, locations, ExtraSpecialTeas offers a day program for young adults with autism and other special needs from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily. Both stores have tea bars, and the Housatonic location also has a gluten-free commercial kitchen and a tea lab where “Blue Skies” and other teas are concocted and blended. Its employees go dancing weekly at Berkshire Pulse and contribute to WSBS-AM, especially Patrick Sheridan. They visited Mass MoCA last week. And the nonprofit has a regular podcast, “Tales from the Tea Cup.” “It's very laid back and welcoming. People are very, very kind and caring,” said Sheridan, who also hosts the podcast, of his workplace. “I work on the cash register sometimes, and I've never done that before, and I've realized, how easy that is. I mean, sometimes, most of the time, it's pretty easy. And it gives you confidence.” On Saturday, during a reading in which employees expressed their appreciation for their workplace and the people in it, tea blender Sarah Andrews dabbed at her eyes as she looked on and listened. Asked what was going through her mind, she said she was thinking about how much she’s grown to love the tea house crew. “They're the best people I've ever met. And I just really, truly love them. They're my best friends,” Andrews said. “They're a little bit of like my family at this point.” Blagg, who has worked in retail before, much prefers her work at ExtraSpecialTeas to folding clothes at a store. She feels more comfortable here and has made new friends, she said. “Just when I came five years ago, I was very nervous, but I feel more comfortable, and I feel like EST is my second family,” she said. Blagg was honored Saturday for her five years at the cafe, and also congratulated for winning bronze medals in alpine skiing at the Special Olympics World Games in Turin, Italy, last month. Employee Caroline Murray also loves working at ExtraSpecialTeas. “I love my EST family and Carrie [fellow employee Kara Curtin] makes me happy every day,” she said. Her mother, Holly Murray, said the atmosphere makes Caroline feel comfortable. “They seem to know and key in on when somebody's having trouble,” she said. “Somebody's always right there and immediately kind of helping them get through it. And they also have shown respect for each other.” The party, which filled the tea shop near the Housatonic Railroad overpass to capacity, is among local autism awareness events planned for this month in the Berkshires. Another event marking Autism Acceptance Month will be held at 11 a.m. April 19. Families Like Ours will host its fifth annual Autism Awareness Walk and Resource Fair at Monument Mountain High School in Great Barrington. The event is “encouraging participants to show their commitment to inclusion” and will feature information from local services and organizations, as well as food trucks and music. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates about 1 in 36 U.S. children have been identified with autism spectrum disorder as of 2020 — up from 1 in 150 in 2000. No single medical or behavioral test can diagnose autism; rather, an ASD diagnosis is made by a psychologist, pediatrician or specialist based on multiple symptoms and diagnostic tests, according to the Autism Society. That diagnosis compares symptoms and test results to the definition for ASD in the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. People with ASD can experience difficulty with social communication and interaction, or may exhibit restricted or repetitive behaviors or interests. They may also also have different ways of learning, moving or paying attention. Molleigh Sanes, who is Cherry and Scott’s daughter, said the work has been incredibly rewarding. "It's just, it's an amazing opportunity to get to work in this community and work with people in the special needs community," she said. "And having a brother with special needs, I think, is one of, like, the greatest gifts any person can have, because it teaches you so much about the world and how big it really could be."