Vincent Yegon, whose t-shirt is branded ‘my language is sign language’, approaches to serve us.

We request to speak to him through text, noting that our sign is rusty, but he politely declines and says he will speak to us through sign, but slowly so we catch on.

The 26-year-old graduate of Karen College says his new job offers quite a different experience from the previous jobs he held.

“I’ve previously worked at a tea farm and bakery, and in both places, we had difficulties in communicating, seeing that most employees were hearing. We could not write, and most times, a lot went unsaid,” Yegon says.

Even with little pay, he says he didn’t feel like he fit there and decided to look for work elsewhere.

When approached by his new bosses, he hoped that this new place would make him feel welcome and so far that is what has been happening.

“Although no one fully knows sign language, everyone here is making an effort to learn and speak to me. No one has treated me any differently and I have been able to relate well with customers,” he says.

We ask how customers have been able to approach him, to which he says his work mainly entails observation.

“When customers come in, a few notice the branding on my t-shirt, and if not I show it to them and take them to their desired seats. Then I hand them the menus, which they scan and point out what exactly they want. I write down the orders and key them into the machine, then go for the orders at the counter,” he explains.

Afterward, he brings the orders and welcomes the guests to a bountiful meal. Should anyone require his services, he says, they wave at him, alerting him that he’s needed.

“So far, I have not had a bad experience with any of the customers, and my boss tells me they speak highly of me and my services,” Yegon says smiling.

Christine Ngugi, the proprietor of the Nacity Restaurant, says she was concerned by how a deaf family struggled to communicate with the servers one time during lunch.

“A few days before the opening of our restaurant, I was out with my family for lunch and noticed a different family from ours struggling to make their orders. We observed the miscommunication between the parties and consulted amongst ourselves what would happen if Deaf people were to visit our restaurant,” says Christine.

She then made a decision and approached the family to ask whether any of them had any knowledge of hospitality.

Surprisingly, three of them did but they only had space for one since they’d already done the hiring and were gearing up to open. That is how Vincent came to work in the restaurant.

Christine notes that a week into the opening, customers have appreciated Vincent’s service, noting that she has received commendable feedback.

“The branding on his t-shirt has also helped to identify him. Our customers have also liked the inclusion because most of the time, as humans, we tend to segregate with a bias that we can only connect with people who communicate like us.”

How Deaf plumber uses his job to fight stigma against persons with disabilities

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Leleti Jassor