Nestled in the heart of PJ is a humble cafe that strives to empower and include the deaf and differently abled individuals. Cafe DIB, which stands for Deaf In Business is founded by Dr. Allen Teh, where he had spent more than a decade in the F&B industry.
Deaf in Business: A cafe striving to include & empower the deaf & differently abled individuals
Source: Cafe DIB (Facebook)
Speaking to Wau Post, Dr. Allen Teh shared that his inspiration of starting a cafe with a purpose came from his deeply rooted passion in the F&B industry. Back in 1985, Dr. Allen Teh had worked in a fast-food restaurant in Jalan Imbi, where 90% of the staff were deaf. He was very fond of the inclusivity presented and had hoped to create something similar of his own.
Following that, the emergence social enterprises that aims to empower the differently abled community have further motivated Dr. Allen to venture on his own.
“I saw the opportunity to create my own social enterprise and decided to just go for it. I hired my first batch of workers, which are all deaf”, he said.
Source: Source: Cafe DIB (Facebook)
Well-trained & no communication barrier
Operating for close to 13 years, Dr. Allen Teh shared that he has 10 employees working in his cafe. 7 of which are differently abled, while the other 3 have normal hearing.
“Of the 7 staffs which are differently abled, 1 of them is deaf and a slow-learner, while the other is autistic and lost 50% of his vision”, he highlighted.
Source: Cafe DIB (Facebook)
When asked if there were any communication barriers, Dr. Allen Teh mentioned that the team works well together and if there are requests from customers that they’re unable to handle, they would seek assistance from the other 3 staff who have normal hearing.
“Thankfully, after operating for more than a decade, we’ve yet to receive a complain about any communication barrier from our customers”, he shared.
Improved quality of life
Other than that, Dr. Allen shared that by providing an opportunity to the differently abled community, they’re able to sustain their livelihood and improve their quality of life.
Source: Cafe DIB (Facebook)
“When they’re at work, they’re able to learn basic life skills as well as technical skills relevant to their job”, said Dr. Allen.
He added that most of his employees’ life has improved drastically, especially in terms of their finance.
“Most of my employees use an iPhone 15 and they’re able to provide some money for their family as well”, he said.
While the cafe is doing very well, standing against the test of time, Dr. Allen revealed that there’s no desire to expand due to the lack of resources. He emphasised that other than the lack of financial resources, many from the differently abled community aren’t keen in working, making it hard for them to employ employees.
Source: Cafe DIB (Facebook)
However, despite the trials and turbulences, Dr. Allen remains positive and strives to continue providing opportunities for the differently abled community.
Thank you for giving the differently abled community a chance and we hope business continues to soar for them!
If you’d like to show your support, feel free to visit Cafe DIB at:
PJ Trade Centre, 1st Floor, Menara Gamuda,
8, Jalan PJU 8/8A, Damansara Perdana, 47820 Petaling Jaya
Selangor
Opening hours
10am – 8:30pm (Daily)
Closed on Sundays.
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