It is not just AIDS. Jaipur-based Café Vitthal’s founder Ashish Vitthal, says it isn’t easy to run operations with differently abled people on board. “I have been running this cafe for the past 10 years. It started when I saw some people at a railway crossing near my house using sign language to communicate. First, I thought someone was being eve-teased. I went up to them and realised they were deaf and mute. It was then that I thought they could be integrated into our daily life and given a space to work and earn,” he says. Vitthal’s efforts to make his employees feel included also translates into customers getting a five-minute crash course on sign language and how to order in a certain manner to be understood by servers. “Initially it was a little overwhelming but with time people have become very comfortable being served by my staff,” he adds.
Vitthal’s café serves more than just food. They aim to fill customers with love and warmth by the time they leave, along with a full belly. As far as the menu goes, Dal tadka and Tandoori bharta with Missi roti are specialities.
Governments have been trying to do their bit to provide the differently abled with monthly financial assistance; for example, the Government of Puducherry’s ‘Grant of Financial Assistance to Differently Abled Person’ scheme under the Department of Social Welfare. It was introduced to provide monthly financial assistance to such persons to maintain their minimum standard of living. The selection is periodical and depends on the availability of funds. The benefits are:
Disability Range 40-65%: Rs 2,000 per month
Disability Range 66-85%: Rs 2,500 per month
Disability Range 86-100%: Rs 3,500 per month
This is further enhanced as the beneficiaries age:
Age Range 60-79 years: Rs 2,700 per month
Age Range 80 years and above: Rs 3,800 per month
A pittance by today’s living standards, but something is better than nothing.