For hearing-impaired individuals, it’s easy to see where a trip to a restaurant could be an awkward experience. To understand the waitstaff, they would probably have to read lips in a crowded, chaotic environment. And, because born-deaf people can’t identify tone, verbalizing their order could be equally challenging. So, they’re too often reduced to pointing to what they want, and an awkward transaction is completed.
In Toronto, innovative restaurateur Manny Manikumar, became the principal investor in a restaurant that caters to hearing-impaired staff and patrons. And signs play a vital role.
The restaurant is called, appropriate, Signs Restaurant & Bar. On its interior wall, framed signs indicate the correct sign-language positions for each letter, which enables hearing customers to better communicate with the staff, which is 70% deaf, according to an article in The Epoch Times. The article emphatically addressed the need for employment opportunities for the hearing-impaired: according to the Canadian Assn. of the Deaf, nearly 80% of deaf Canadians are unemployed or underemployed. Manikumar’s recognition of the need for employment opportunities is commendable. We’re always happy to hear of any instance where signs provide a tangible societal benefit.
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