28-year-old Alina Alam's Mitti Café run by specially-abled destigmatises disability

The cafe has been modified in a way that provides a better environment for people to work here, with menus printed in braille, food orders written on sheets of a note pad, self-explanatory placards and flicker lights that signal the staff when a customer calls for them, and more such unique ideas to facilitate the staff.

The cafe has been able to destigmatise ‘disability’ in society, it has opened channels for people with disabilities to vision a better life for themselves. In many ways, it has normalized the concept of disability, by creating awareness amongst commoners and empowering people, by providing them with opportunities to learn and grow. It is a great medium for everyone to understand that the differently-abled people are employable and can be turned into our assets. 
 

The 28-year-old Alina Alam from Kolkata started the cafe in 2017, four years ago, just after she learnt about the capabilities and aspirations of differently abled individuals. During her internship with Samarthanam Trust for the Disabled, Bengaluru, she understood that these people also have enormous potential in them, but lack opportunities. They just need someone to help them polish their skills and un-tap their potential, seeing them with respect and not pity, sympathy.
 

Alina, who is now named by Forbes, in 30 people under 30 list, shares that she always wanted to build a social enterprise that engages these people in an empowered set-up, outside the scope of charity. These were the thoughts that enabled her to build the cafe. 

The Mitti Café had opened its very first branch at Deshpande foundation in the B.V.B. College of Engineering and Technology campus in August 2017. 

 Image: Instagram/ Alina Alam