Deaf community finds friendship at Kota Baru eatery

 

A typical eatery is usually filled with the chatter and laughter of customers, but at a restaurant along Jalan Mahmood here, the atmosphere is remarkably different. NSTP/WANNA ABDUL RAHIM

KOTA BARU: A typical eatery is usually filled with the chatter and laughter of customers, but at a restaurant along Jalan Mahmood here, the atmosphere is remarkably different.

There are people eating, smiling and interacting, but hardly a sound can be heard.

For passers-by, the only signs of conversations are the animated movements of their hands and expressions on their faces.

The group of more than 30 deaf and hard-of-hearing people has turned the restaurant into a regular meeting place, where friendship and camaraderie are expressed without the need for words.

Their leader, Bahari Ariffin, 43, from Chabang Empat, Tumpat, said the group comprised people from several districts, including Pasir Mas and Kuala Krai, who work in Kota Baru.

He said they would usually gather at the restaurant on Thursdays and Fridays, and sometimes Saturdays, to have drinks and catch up with one another.

"We have been gathering here for almost two years. Some are members of associations for the deaf while others are not.

"Everyone has different jobs. Some wash cars, some work in construction while others repair motorcycles.

"For us, this is a place to meet friends and spend time together," he said.

Bahari said the group comprised people with different degrees of hearing and speech impairment, but their shared experiences had brought them close.

He himself has lived with hearing impairment since he was four years old after suffering high fever that affected hearing in his left ear.

Despite the communication challenges, Bahari said the group had never allowed their disabilities to prevent them from building friendships.

Restaurant owner Zulkifli Mat Ajid, 60, said he was happy to welcome the group, describing their regular visits as good for both the customers and his business.

"As a business owner, I am happy because their visits bring income to the restaurant.

"They enjoy gathering here, and I have no problem with them. They are regular customers and have become part of the atmosphere here," he said.

Zulkifli said the restaurant had a long history of being a gathering place for people with disabilities.

He said his late father-in-law had previously operated the eatery, which was known locally as 'Cik Awe Pohon Setor', and people with disabilities had been gathering there for about 20 years.

"Even before this group came, people with disabilities used to gather here. Now, a new generation has continued the tradition.

"They usually come on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays and stay here until midnight," he said.

For the group, however, the restaurant is more than just a place to have a drink.

It is a place where silence does not mean loneliness, and where a smile, a gesture or a wave of the hand can be enough to say: I am glad to see you again. - NST