Yes Shiv, it will be quite a challenge but I guess that would be the same if a hearing and speech impaired person visited Dining in the Dark.
I would love for someone in this group who has learnt sign language and has interacted independently with the hearing and speech impaired to share their experiences- challenges and ease. Hoping to hear from someone Cheers, Nidhi Goyal Disability and gender rights activist I tweet @saysnidhigoyal -----Original Message----- From: AccessIndia [mailto:accessindia-boun...@accessindia.org.in] On Behalf Of Shiv Sent: Saturday, May 02, 2015 9:47 AM To: 'AccessIndia: a list for discussing accessibility and issues concerning the disabled.' Subject: [AI] Sign of the times A great idea and initiative! However, how will blind people access this place??? Source: http://www.mumbaimirror.com/mumbai/others/Sign-of-the-times/articleshow/4712 7593.cms?prtpage=1 Sign of the times By Benita Fernando, Mumbai Mirror | May 2, 2015, 05.03 AM IST Sign of the times (Left to right) Steward Rohit Patil, hostess Baljeet Kaur, head of training Clyde Castellino with Anuj Shah and Prashant Issar City gets its first eatery with deaf-mute only service staff, encouraging guests to place orders using sign language. If you wish to order a bowl of piquant kaffir rasam at Powai's just-launched Mirchi and Mime (M&M), you are going to have to interlock your pinkies into a 'S' before you raise your index, middle and ring fingers of one hand. Staying on for main course? Tell the steward you want the guinea fowl inside out by making a 'T' with your index fingers, and then the number 8. If that's exactly what Rohit Patil ends up bringing to your table 20 minutes later, without you having uttered a word, it's because the restaurant's service staff of 27, all hearing and speech impaired, have been training to have their service down to pat for the last 14 weeks. Owned by Anuj Shah and Prashant Issar, the 80-seater offers a pan-Indian menu in a fine-dining setup where a massive wall pays homage to traditional cooking techniques with framed brass ladles and ancient scrapers. Inside the kitchen, dessert chef Mahesh Chinde carries his disability lightly on his shoulders as he puts together a portion of sitaphal panna cotta. The idea to keep sign language as the mainstay of service at their first establishment (the duo insists it's one of 21 they plan to roll out in India, and possibly abroad) came to Issar when he came across Signs Restaurant staffed by deaf waiters in Toronto's Yonge and Wellesley area. Issar, whose 20-yearlong of hospitality experience, including an association with London's Masala Zone and Michelin-starred Amaya as GM, says he realised that the hearing-and-speech impaired not only make for focused talent with little to distract them, they almost always are competent non-verbal communicators. He insists they have been hired for their ability, not disabilities. "We wished to present Indian food creatively while helping develop employable skills," he says. All picked from Chembur's Rochiram T Thadani School for Hearing Handicapped and the National Society for Equal Opportunities for the Handicapped (NASEOH), the staff has been trained by Dr Reddy's Foundation and Clyde Castellino, M&M's head of training. For this assignment, Castellino had to learn Indian Sign Language from scratch. Shah considers it a valuable investment, arguing that hiring the disabled is not part of the firm's CSR; they make up their core resource. And so, animated faces, dancing eyes and flying fingers are an everyday thing at M&M. Issar's arrival is indicated by air-drawing a tattoo on the forearm; Shah, by his spiked hair; Castellino, by an earring, and 21-yearold hostess, Baljeet Kaur, whose family of five is speech-and-hearing impaired too, by her curls. Not just the staff, the eatery also encourages guests to indulge in gestures. Their imaginative menu carries simple 2-step sketches of signs next to corresponding dishes that customers can follow. A simple gesture glossary also helps indicate nuances of taste, including salt and spice. It gets even more interesting when choosing meats. The fingers must flutter if you crave fish or mimic a hen's beak for a portion of chicken. For the more officious meetings, the manager is happy to present you with a printed set menu, and no, it's not uncouth to point-and-order here. "We want our service to be as seamless as that at a regular restaurant, and ensure our food is the cornerstone," hopes Issar. Ground Floor, Transocean House, Lake Boulevard, Hiranandani Gardens, Powai. Call: 41415151. Opens today. Regards, Shiv Register at the dedicated AccessIndia list for discussing accessibility of mobile phones / Tabs on: http://mail.accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/mobile.accessindia_accessind ia.org.in Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/accessindia@accessindia.org.in/ To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in Disclaimer: 1. Contents of the mails, factual, or otherwise, reflect the thinking of the person sending the mail and AI in no way relates itself to its veracity; 2. AI cannot be held liable for any commission/omission based on the mails sent through this mailing list.. Register at the dedicated AccessIndia list for discussing accessibility of mobile phones / Tabs on: http://mail.accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/mobile.accessindia_accessindia.org.in Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/accessindia@accessindia.org.in/ To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in Disclaimer: 1. Contents of the mails, factual, or otherwise, reflect the thinking of the person sending the mail and AI in no way relates itself to its veracity; 2. AI cannot be held liable for any commission/omission based on the mails sent through this mailing list..
