A coffee-shop that perks up the deaf in business

Founded on a divine calling to give disabled people a leg up in the world.

PETALING JAYA: There is hope yet for the deaf community in Malaysia, with several groups and individuals who are willing to invest their time, money and heart into helping the disabled communities.

Deaf in Business Coffees of Hawaii is a unique community business project for the deaf. It is the first gourmet coffee chain in Malaysia operated fully by deaf personnel who are guided and trained by hearing coaches.

Allen Teh, founder of DIB, says the idea had seemed like a divine calling to start this project.

“If you ask why I started this project, I honestly don’t know why. I feel like it was a divine calling from God. It is crazy and ridiculous to invest your entire life’s savings into a business like this, but I did it,” said Teh, who holds a PhD in human behavior.

“DIB is a social enterprise. We want to see if the deaf can run a business on their own.” Teh said 80-90 percent of DIB staff are deaf, unlike other chains in the food and beverage business.

“We train them, we guide them; and someday we want to transform this into a business for the disabled, not just the deaf. We want to extend this project to those with Down’s syndrome, those with autism, those in wheel chairs, and even slow learners,” he said.

DIB is committed to teaching skills such as serving, cooking and being coffee baristas. Teh said the disabled community should not be restricted to unskilled tasks such as cleaning or sweeping.

“Many of our former staff have picked up the skills and have spread their wings to do better things. We teach them how to express themselves,” Teh said.

In 2014, DIB was a recipient of an award from the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam), the first for restaurants, said Teh.

“It’s a real business, it’s not like an NGO (non-governmental organisation). The deaf must be trained so that the café can be sustainable as people want quality and value-for-money services. We are a human rights project and we give unbiased employment. Many deaf people won’t get employment opportunities such as this,” he said.

When asked if the business was sustainable one, Teh said that it was passion that kept the business going. “A business has to be sustainable, yes, but people like us are driven by the cause because it’s the passion that sustains you from the hardships of running a business like this,” he said.