First café for the deaf opens in Moscow

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

Deaf people live in a silent world that can make ordinary meeting places seem closed off to them as they can't understand what's happening or be understood themselves.

Sesto Senso is a specialised café for people with hearing disorders where the staff can understand them as easily as any customer.

“It is 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,” Irina Kampova, the café manager, explains.  

A customer, Oksana Trusova, explains how simple things can make a big difference.

“It’s easy for me at a restaurant for the deaf and it’s difficult elsewhere, because you have to write down on paper what you want and show it,” she says.

Yulia Rabimovich, another visitor of the café believes that “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,” she adds. 

Aleksandr Shvekunov says that even 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 a lot of subtitles”.

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