[October 15, 2010] AUB helps neighborhood eateries create Braille menus Tweet BEIRUT, Oct 16, 2010 (The Daily Star - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Soon the visually impaired will no longer need their sighted companions when perusing menus in Beirut cafes and restaurants, a statement from the American University of Beirut (AUB) said on Friday. In late September, Cafe Younes in Hamra offered the first Braille version of their menu, as a result of a project launched by AUB's Center for Civic Engagement and Community Service (CCECS) in partnership with Lebanon's Youth Association of the Blind (YAB). "This unique project, which also includes training staff and waiters to deal with visually impaired customers, will eventually include many cafes and restaurants throughout Lebanon," the statement from AUB said. "Cafe Younes' cooperation with YAB would hopefully be the first step toward something bigger," said Amin Younes, owner of Cafe Younes. "I sincerely hope that more institutions will follow Cafe Younes in their quest to be part of a community system where people with challenging needs are fully integrated into society." Fatme Masalkhi, YAB member and coordinator of YAB Projects at CCECS said: "The participation of cafes and restaurants in this project helps the visually impaired become more included in society. If a cafe provides a menu in Braille, this means that the staff has been trained to deal with the visually impaired and it makes me feel more motivated to go out by myself." The cooperation between AUB and YAB goes back more than a year, when AUB took five YAB interns to work in various departments, one of which was CCECS. Since then, the center has actively supported various YAB activities, such as the Inclusive Cafes and Restaurants project, which encourages eateries to print their menus in Braille. Interested cafes and restaurants can get more information or join the project by calling CCECS at 01-350000, ext. 4430, or by emailing [email protected] or YAB at 01-364259, or by emailing [email protected] -- The Daily Star To see more of the Daily Star, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.dailystar.com.lb. Copyright (c) 2010, The Daily Star, Beirut, Lebanon Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com, e-mail [email protected], or call 866-280-5210 (outside the United States, call +1 312-222-4544). [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]