First cafe for Deaf people in Russia

Deaf people in Moscow now have a chance to dine out without the fear of not being understood. The first cafe for the deaf employs staff who know sign language.

(translation from Brianriley4 at youtube.com)

(updated with correction 9-8-08)

LEN DOD (reporter, speaking English): For most of us, bars and cafes are easy places to socialize, but what if all you heard there was this? [Loud music fades to silence] Deaf people live in a silent world, which can make ordinary meeting places seem closed off to them, as they can’t understand what’s happening or make themselves understood.

DOD (cont.): Yulia Rabimovich and Oksana Tusovado [phonetic] know a place where that isn’t a problem. They’re both profoundly deaf, but here at Setso Senso the staff can understand them as easily as any customer. They all speak sign language themselves.

IRINA KAMPOVA (speaking Russian, interpreted into English in voiceover): It’s a specialized cafe for people with hearing disorders. It’s the first project in Russia. We were preparing for a long time to open this restaurant, because the idea to do so had emerged long ago, but it was only in late 2006 that we managed to put it into practice.

DOD: The girls and their friend Sasha explain to me how simple things can make a big difference to their lives.

OKSANA TRUSOVA (voice of interpreter): It’s easy for me at the restaurant for the deaf, and it’s difficult elsewhere, because you have to write down on paper what you want and show it.

YULIA RABIMOVICH (voice of interpreter): Every establishment should have at least one person who’ll know the sign language. Restaurants for the deaf are a good thing. I, for one, don’t like being seen as different.

ALEKSANDR SHEVKUNOV (speaking Russian, English voiceover): Though this place, the restaurant, is hospitable, a movie theater with subtitles would be a good thing. Some guys, couples, old age pensioners, would like to come to a movie theater and see a new film with lots of subtitles.

DOD: Of course, not every waiter and bar worker can be fluent in sign language, but even a few places like this one make a huge difference to the deaf community.

DOD (continued): Cafes like this that teach us to celebrate and understand each others’ differences can only be a good thing for Russia, and we can learn something from them as well. Len Dod [signs: index finger across chin] , Russia Today [signs: fingers together and bent], Moscow [signs: A-handshape on cheek]. [Turns toward table and signs:] Spasiba.