Hearing & speech-impaired workers inspire customers at Doon’s Aanchal Cafe Plus
PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE / Dehradun
Four hearing and speech-impaired individuals are leading the service team at Dehradun’s newly launched Aanchal Cafe Plus, managing orders and serving customers confidently through sign language and a structured communication system designed to remove barriers.
The café was launched under the Uttarakhand Cooperative Dairy Federation and has integrated specially-abled staff into its frontline operation at the heart of customer interaction. Staff members Arun, Sharif, Prem and Jaideep are among those working as servers, attending tables without spoken words and taking orders, yet ensuring smooth service.
To enable communication, each table is fitted with a signal light that customers switch on to call the staff. Once at the table, servers provide a printed menu and an order booklet in which guests write down the item numbers to place their orders. The system has enabled efficient coordination between customers and staff, eliminating the need for verbal exchange.
The outlet currently employs about 20 people. Manager Sunil Belwal said that the initiative aims to promote self-reliance and create meaningful employment opportunities for persons with disabilities. “Given the right opportunity, they are second to none,” a staff member said about the specially-abled employees.
According to Belwal, the hearing and speech-impaired workers come from Uttar Pradesh, Nepal and Madhya Pradesh. They underwent professional hospitality training in Delhi to prepare for a customer-facing role before joining the cafe.
The cafe serves a range of dairy-based products made from Aanchal milk, including flavoured milk, curd, buttermilk, lassi, milkshakes and ice cream. Since opening, it has attracted families, students and young visitors curious about the concept.
Ali Zaidi, who learned about the cafe through social media, said that he wanted to see how the team managed communication. “It was a wonderful and inspiring experience,” he said. Another visitor, Mohammed Abdur said that the staff’s confidence and teamwork left a strong impression.
Belwal said that if the model proves successful, similar cafes are planned in Nainital and Pithoragarh.
