Photo: twitter @fingertalk
Brilio.net/en - Its always a delight to witness the social aspect of businesses. On May 2015, social entrepreneur Dissa Ahdanisa opened Fingertalk Caf, Indonesias very first caf which employs deaf waiters! This magnificent idea came about while Dissa was on voluntary teaching duty in Nicaragua. She had come across a caf with this exact concept. There and then, it was a dream for her to do it herself. She widened her knowledge and local contacts before executing this social business idea with her fellow native Indonesians. After devoting her time into planning this start-up, Dissa successfully opened up Fingertalk Caf, which is located along Pinang road in Pamulang, South Tangerang.
To those of you who are already fascinated, here are a few points you should note prior to living the actual experience. Each table in the caf has a sign language cheat sheet so you know how to interact with the deaf waiters when they take your order. Do remember to speak the words out slowly because the waiter will be reading your lips as well to guide their thought process. When both parties are in sync, your food is ready to be served. In terms of its food selection, Fingertalk caf offers a range of delicious Indonesian and Western cuisine.
Apart from the caf, Dissa has an in-built workshop as well. Over there, deaf employees are taught various skills such as sewing and knitting purses, bags and clothes. Such activities boost the confidence of the workforce as the items are eventually sold. Of the nine employees who have been a part of Fingertalk Caf to date, five of them manage different tasks at the cafe. The remaining four report in to the workshop.
So far, the caf has built a positive response from customers. So much so that Dissa is already having thoughts to expand her business by opening a new branch and training center sometime in the future. Despite claiming that communicating with the deaf is her biggest challenge, Dissa wishes to help them acquire skills in sectors such as administrative work and programming. She believes that such abilities will be beneficial for all parties in the long-term.
From what Dissa has noticed through her past experiences, many deaf people are embarrassed to personally ask for jobs. As such, she wants to go the extra mile to recruit them at her future caf branch and training center. Amazingly, she isnt just focusing her time and attention towards the hearing impaired, but also plans to reach out to those suffering from other disabilities too.
Sounds like a very cool place, doesnt it? Head down to the Fingertalk Caf and be a part of this once in a lifetime experience. Youll appreciate it!
(Reported by Sahil Nathani)
(brl/tis)
