BENGALURU: A pre-Christmas lunch party is being organised for specially-abled children aged between 10-12 years. The event, organised by Byg Brewski, Hennur, and #RampMyCity, is for children from The Association of People With Disabilities (APD), and will be held on Tuesday.
Mansoor who works as a fund-raiser for APD, is a differently-abled person, who did his schooling from the association. As part of the community, he says, he understood the importance of socialisation and also the barriers and challenges PWDs face. “There is an attitude of discomfort towards PWD and so is there is societal discomfort shown towards them. Hosting such an event for children, who would otherwise not be comfortable to go these restaurants, is a way in which we are trying to bridge the gap. With the #RampMyCity campaign, this is also a way for us ensure that a follow-up is being done to ensure that the staff can cater to differently-abled children,” he says.
Over 40 of these children, who will be attending the event, have mobility issues, or are hearing/speech-impaired. Games have been designed to cater to each one of them. The staff at Byg Brewski have also arranged special dances for them, which will be followed by lunch. Apart from this, there will also be a story-telling session by Prateek Khandelwal, founder of #RampMyCity campaign. “These stories will be simple in nature. The main message that will be given out to them is that whoever they are, they are special. They must always believe in themselves and their abilities,” states Khandelwal.
#RampMyCity campaign has been instrumental in making 16 restaurants accessible in the city. Talking about extending this initiative to specially-abled children, Khandelwal says, “Most of these children don’t have meals outside, as their parents are not comfortable with their kids going out. I discussed the idea of hosting the event with Pravesh Pandey, the founder of Byg Brewski, as they have a big space and an accessible washroom.”
Breaking barriers through talks,training sessions
Apart from making 16 restaurants accessible, talks and training sessions have been provided to the staff at the eateries. Khandelwal says, “From picking them up from their vehicles at the entrance, to escorting them to their tables, washrooms and finally back to their cars, I’ve been training staff on how to provide the right service to these customers.”
Khandelwal also has advice for the differently-abled customers, “On your part, before coming to the restaurant, give them a call and let them know when you’ll be making a visit, so they can make the requisite arrangements.”
He further says, “It’s not like people are not there to help. If you train them the right way, it’s possible for them to make it accessible for you. It is important to involve them, in order for them to involve you. By breaking the mental barrier from both sides we can be inclusive.”