“Last year during the pandemic, many visually impaired masseurs faced financial difficulties because of the suspension of massage services,” he said.Īnother trainee at Yau Cafe, 28-year-old Tung Tsz-long, was born with amblyopia, resulting in a gradual decrease in his vision. Wong admitted it was risky to start a business during the pandemic, but he was confident in the cafe’s mission. How do people with hearing disabilities cope during Covid? The Blind Union started offering barista training in 2015, said Billy Wong Chun-hang, the group’s director.īut after realising that very few blind people found barista jobs after the training, the group decided to open a coffee shop where they could hire blind people directly. I’m already used to how hot it is,” she said. “You need to be fearless when frothing the milk. Sandy Wong (L) and Tang Tsz-long during the launch day for Yau Cafe. Relying so heavily on her hands, however, meant there were many times her hands were burnt and blistered by the hot steam wand used to give milk a foamy texture. whether we’ve done all the steps smoothly,” the proud barista added. “We cannot see the final product or how the coffee looks, but we can tell based on. She kept practising and became more familiar with the process. At first, Wong relied on special stickers to navigate the coffee machine. Swim school helps disabled students jump into the deep endīut Wong wasn’t dejected. I failed every time when I first started,” she said. “At the beginning, it was really difficult. The taste of the coffee is determined by how well the coffee grounds are tamped, she explained. She has to carefully remove the excess grounds and pack the remainder evenly in the container.
The first challenge is adding coffee grounds into a basket, before attaching it back to the machine. There’s a lot to overcome for people who can’t see,” Wong said. but at the same time I had mixed feelings and wondered if I’d be able to manage. Hong Kong students with disabilities doubly impacted by half-day lessons After the course ended, they continued practising at the cafe. Ten of them, including Wong, were chosen to join a five-day intensive training in June. When the Blind Union first offered training opportunities for the cafe in April, more than 70 visually impaired people applied. The shop is an initiative launched by the Hong Kong Blind Union and is supported with government funding for start-up social enterprises. She is a trainee at Yau Cafe, which hires visually impaired people and is the city’s first cafe that offers both coffee and massage therapy. Yau Cafe in Sai Ying Pun operates under the guidance of the Hong Kong Blind Union.
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