Braille menus in restaurants initiative launched in Saudi

Makkah: An initiative to promote the provision of the Braille menu in Saudi's restaurants and related facilities have been started by a volunteer organization in the Kingdom. During the launch, attended by many visually challenged people, Café Atrab of Makkah produced a hot and cold drinks menu in Braille, Arab News reported.

A visually challenged person, Alaa Al-Tuairaqi, said that the idea is wonder full and out of the box. It will be well received by the beneficiaries, and for the first time in his life, he hopes he will be able to order food without problems. He added that visually challenged people feel embarrassed to ask to read menus aloud, particularly in crowded restaurants.

A team under the aegis of the organization Al-Ahyaa Centers Association here launched the initiative as part of the World Braille Day celebrations. The seven-year-old Rouh Makkah volunteer team head Maha Al-Sharif said that the idea struck her when she saw a visually impaired individual face difficulty in ordering food, and the person needed a menu to be read out aloud. The associate leader of the team, Nourah Al-Maliki, said that integrating people of differently able into Saudi society is part of Vision 2030.

Café Atrab owner, manal Al-Malawi, praised the volunteering team, saying they were doing national duty. She thanked the Rouh Makkah team and said she was honoured to be the first establishment to join the scheme. She added that for the visually challenged community, she offers a 50% discount on any drinks for their lifetime. Further, she said that Café Arab welcomes any voluntary initiatives and ideas aimed at differently-abled people.

Rouh Makkah plans for a similar project for people with hearing and speaking difficulties in the future.