Skip to main content
  • Accessibility
  • Headlines
  • Coronavirus-News
  • Get-Hooked
  • Technology
  • Education
  • Employment
  • Parasports
  • Ask Bhavna
  • NHBrandView
  • Independent Living
  • Lifestyle
  • NH Videos
×
Newz Hook – Changing Attitudes towards Disability Logo
  • Stories
  • Videos
  • Inclusive
  • NH Voice
  • Login
COVID-19 Notification by Government in Accessible Format

Accessibility Tools

Text Size:

Contrast Scheme:

  • C
  • C

Reset

  • Home
  • Get-hooked
  • Feel the menu to choose the food at this Bengaluru restaurant

Feel the menu to choose the food at this Bengaluru restaurant

Get-hooked January 5, 2018
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)

Next in our series on The Power of Braille is the story of a restaurant in Bengaluru.

It was a chance encounter with a blind Bharatanatyam dancer, Gangamma, that got Bhavna Jain to introduce menu cards in Braille at her restaurant in 2013.

Om Pure Veg Restaurant is in Koramangala, Bengaluru

“Gangamma was telling me how the infrastructure for the disabled was so good in the United States where she is based”, remembers Bhavna. What also came through in her words was the lack of expectation of any such facilities in India. “I felt that surely there is something I can do to make my restaurant accessible to the blind in every way”.

She discussed the idea further with some employees of the NGO EnAble India, who frequented her restaurant. The NGO’s office is close to Om, and many of its staff members eat there. EnAble India also runs many programs for the blind. A few of the employees volunteered to help Bhavna design the menu in Braille.

Braille menus designed with the help of NGO EnAble India

It took four months of work and many trials before it all came together and on the festive occasion of Ugadi in April 2013, Om Restaurant took a significant step towards becoming accessible to the visually impaired.

“You should see their faces when they walk into the restaurant and see a Braille menu. They read the whole thing from beginning to the end, like its a book!” – Bhavna Jain

Having a Braille menu makes eating out fun & relaxing for everyone

The menu is updated regularly to reflect the changing prices, and Bhavna says that over the years, her staff has become sensitised towards the needs of the blind customers. “Many of the employees here are very young and not so educated, but they have learned how to help the blind, when to pull the chairs out and to make sure they speak clearly and loudly – just small touches that make someone feel welcome and included”.

The footfalls from blind customers has increased since the Braille menuus were introduced, but for Bhavna that is not the incentive.

“I see them at my restaurant, laughing and talking, and its so impressive how they lead independent lives, cooking, traveling and living by themselves”, says Bhavna.

“Here we complain about small things and they are leading rich, full lives”

Click below to read the other stories in The Power of Braille series:

This Bengaluru doctor gives prescriptions that the blind can read

A lifestyle magazine in Braille opens a new window to the blind

Be it Harry Potter or the Ramayana, this Jaipur library brings literature alive in Braille

Be it paintings or photographs, this architect uses Braille to make art accessible to everyone

Thinkerbell Labs makes learning Braille easier for children

With Braille business cards, BarrierBreak makes a case for workplace inclusion

Watch in Sign Language

Support us to make NewzHook Sustainable – Make a Contribution Today

We need your continued support to enable us work towards Changing Attitudes towards Disability. Help us in our attempt to share the voices of people with disabilities that enable them to participate in the society on an equal footing!

Contribute to Newz Hook

NH Videos

Healing pain through art - Dr. Anubha Mahajan, Founder Chronic Pain India

Contribue to Newz Hook |Disability news. Support us to make NewzHook Sustainable – Make a Contribution Today.

Newsletter

 Subscribe to our Newsletter

Want to feature disability stories or share disability news with the disabled community? Write to:

editor@newzhook.com

Newz Hook - Accessible News

Download App Now!

Videos

View More

Get-hooked

Braille Blues Daddy, legendary blind guitarist & singer is no more

Employment

SAI Bakery offers adults with developmental disabilities space to bond & learn

Get-hooked

Understanding Rare Diseases

Get-hooked

Understanding Bipolar Disorder

Newz Hook Logo

About Newz Hook

Newz Hook | Disability News - media site focusing on Disability Stories and Changing Attitudes towards Disability globally. We highlight disability news, offer inclusive solutions and create accessible collaborations. Our focus is to have Inclusion Champions from across the globe who will share disability stories and news.
Lets come together to change attitudes towards disability!

Newz Hook is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Follow us on:

Related Links

  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Partner with Newz Hook
  • Embed Newz Hook Timeline
  • Affiliate disclosure
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Contribute to Newz Hook

Our Awards

Zero Project Award Winner 2018
Back To Top
© 2019 All Right Reserved. Inclusive News India Private Limited.

Ask Bhavna

All fields are mandatory unless specified as optional.