General News

A story of a deaf person running a restaurant

One evening last month, I went to a cinema on Sukhumvit Road to watch a Thai ghost movie. While waiting for the movie, I decided to have a quick dinner. Stepping into a fast-food restaurant and queuing up in front of a woman cashier, I was taken by surprise to see a young couple awkwardly using sign language with her. At first, I thought the couple was mute, but I was wrong.

When it was my turn to place an order, I ordered three fried chicken breasts. However, I noticed the cashier did not understand what I said and was using sign language to communicate with me. A few seconds later, I spotted a sign beside the cash register saying something like: "Our staff member is hearing impaired. Please use these gestures when you would like to place an order." The sign showed how to do hand gestures to order different foods and beverages, and how to communicate numbers.

It was quite hard, yet interesting for me to order three pieces of fried chicken and a glass of ice using sign language. Minutes later, the woman returned with one chicken leg, one chicken wing and one chicken breast. Thus, I realised that my language proficiency was poor and I had to ask another staff member to help tell her what I really wanted.

While I was enjoying the dinner, I saw signs on each table saying: "Simple Conversation. Here are simple sign gestures for communicating with our staff: Hello. Good Bye. Yes. No. Sorry. Please. Thank You. You Are Welcome." Despite some difficulties in placing my order at first, that meal was one of the tastiest in my life, since I was delighted to see more job opportunities for those with special needs.

This was my very first experience of being served by someone with a disability. However, I know I must have been assisted by others at some stage, since many disabled people in Thailand have long been employed as operators, clerks, computer programmers, human resources staff, telesales persons, and more.

Broader job opportunities are a good sign of equality for the disabled in this country, in spite of inadequate public facilities, such as sloped walkways, ramps, toilets and lifts. Fortunately, by law, all workplaces must either accept those with disabilities as employees or contribute money to a fund. The law for promoting and improving disabled people's quality of life, which came into effect in 2007, stipulates that at least 1% of the workforce of every public agency or private company must include those with disabilities.

To me, the way more restaurants in Thailand opt to hire those with special needs is another good sign. Currently, three fried chicken restaurants in downtown Bangkok employ 32 people with impairment or complete loss of hearing. By the end of this year, they aim to hire 120 deaf, or hard-of-hearing people. In the meantime, an international coffee brand in Thailand has announced 30 job vacancies for those with an impairment or complete loss of hearing to work as baristas and shop assistants.

Moreover, job placement websites for the disabled, like www.tddf.or.th/job, reveal a wide array of jobs for those with special needs, ranging from dressmaking and telemarketing to human-resource management.

Currently, there are approximately 1.35 million officially registered people with disabilities in Thailand, according to the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security. Nearly 200,000 of them are reportedly those with hearing impairment.

Fortunately, the Thai education system focuses on education for all, in line with the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Children with disabilities can study in ordinary schools and must be supported in every way. About 73% of the disabled population in Thailand have had access to education _ basic and non-formal education, self-learning and home schooling _ while the rest have had none.

However, there are still some limitations for the disabled to further their studies and prepare themselves for work, according to the article, "Thailand and the development of education management for those with disabilities, according to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities", published on the Ministry of Education's Bureau of Policy and Strategy website.

Yesterday, I returned to that fast-food restaurant, saw more staff with impaired hearing there, and felt comfortable placing an order with one of them.

Let's hope for equality for those with disabilities to have better access to education, jobs and public facilities in the Land of Smiles.

Additional Information

Country: Pakistan
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Source: Muhammad Akram
When: 03/6/2013

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