Nairobi restaurant that hires hearing impaired staff

By Fay Ngina | 4yrs ago

Disability is not inability, they say. According to the World Report on Disability, 15 percent of people in the world live with disability.

In Kenya, disable people make 10 percent of the population (4.44 million people). Most of the people living with disability have limited access to employment opportunities.

However, a restaurant in Nairobi has proved that people with disabilities can work like any other person.

Pallet Café, situated in Lavington along James Gichuru Road, has aimed at promoting the hearing impaired by hiring them and offering them the training required in the food service community.

Speaking to CGTN, Susan Watkins, General Manager at Pallet Café, says they hire people with hearing impairment to prove that they are not different from the rest of the people in the society.

“We decided to hire people with hearing impairment just to prove to the society that these guys don’t have disabilities. They are just like you and I. They have talents, they need to live a fruitful life. For them to live a fruitful life, they need to be empowered, “says Susan.

The unique café has five employees with hearing disabilities working for them. Some work as waiters and waitresses while some are chefs.

One of the staff members, Davina Owour says she has learned diverse cooking skills and can make American, Indian, European, and Chinese dishes.

The waiters and waitresses have been trained on how to approach customers and communicate with them without struggling.

One of the Waiters, Edward Gitau, a 24-year-old man, says he feels comfortable working at Pallet Café because the communication simple despite most of their clients being foreigners.