We all love to eat and hang out. Many of us get excited with the news of the new cafe opening. Apart from the décor and food of the café, what if we tell you that cafes can offer much more. There are some special cafes which are run by differently-abled people. These cafes not just empower their staff but also provide their customers with an out-of-the-box experience.
As a society, we face inequalities in many ways, which could be based on gender or pay, but there is one group of people who also face inequality in opportunity. The differently-abled people are differently labeled due to which this group of differently-abled people often miss out on opportunities but as we say they are differently-abled and can do everything if given equal opportunity. To ensure that differently-abled people can also earn their living with dignity, many cafes hire differently-abled staff and help them put their best foot forward.
Echoes Living Room – A deaf friendly restaurant
These restaurants have dumb staff providing the services. It is a chain having restaurants in Delhi and Hyderabad.
The differently-abled staff communicates through sign language or graphic boards. The customers can communicate in several ways, such as through a set of placards which have requests written on them that are frequently made like “bill”, “water please”, etc., the customers can simply hold these placards up to communicate with the staff.
Another way to communicate is through the bulbs that are connected to each table. If you wish to call the staff to your table, simply ring the bell which will light up the bulb and the staff will be informed. The order is also taken in a special way. Customers are given note pads in which they can write the codes of the dishes mentioned in the menu.
To know more about Echoes, please check – Website, Facebook and Instagram
Blind Bake – Run by visually impaired women
A café by NAB India Centre for Blind Women & Disability Studies is independently run by blind women in Delhi.
The center empowers differently-abled women by teaching them different techniques of baking, cooking, and home management. The café has snacks like maggie, idli, corn chat, soup, tea-coffee and much more. Not just cooked but they also have packed items like biscuits, mixtures, and chips. The café is open for the resident trainees, donors, volunteers, and visitors.
This special food by special people will surely bring a smile to your face.
To know more about Blind Bake, please check – Website, Facebook and Instagram
Sheroes Hangout – Employs acid attack survivors
Another wonder situated in the busy lanes of Agra, this café empowers the acid attack survivors. The café was started by an NGO, “Stop Acid Attacks” in 2014 with the aim to foster confidence in the attacked women.
This café has proved to be a new lease of life for differently-abled women who seemed to have lost everything in their life. This wonderful space serves great food with some occasional performances. The café also puts up paintings and crafts on sale made by the employees.
If you are visiting the Taj Mahal, don’t forget to hang out at sheroes!
To know more about Sheroes Hangout, please check – Facebook and Instagram
If you like this story, please read about Darshana Dayat, who became an inspiration and epitome of women empowerment
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