Many small businesses have taken strain since the first cases of Covid-19 were reported in South Africa at the beginning of March. The subsequent national lockdown has forced many businesses in the hospitality industry to close shop indefinitely.
One such a shop is Deafinitely Coffee, which operated as a stall at the weekly Pretoria Boeremark until the lockdown came into effect.
Deafinitely Coffee was started in 2019 under the umbrella of non-profit organisation (NPO), Deafinitely, with the aim to sustainably empower the deaf community in South Africa to live a fully integrated life in the hearing world.
Deafinitely Coffee employees in front of the coffee shop, at the Boeremark in Pretoria. From left to right: Dawie van Wyk; Dineo Ramasodi; Estelle Brooks-Van Wyk; Anel Pienaar and Lourindia Janssen. PHOTO: Anel Pienaar
“The non-profit nature of our company didn’t allow us to apply for the small business fund,” explained Anel Pienaar, founder of Deafinitely. “Financially, it is a big challenge – we are struggling to find funds and have no way of paying our employees.”
Deafinitely, along with the deaf community in general, was also introduced to an entire new set of challenges after the national lockdown came into effect. Suddenly, there is no more access to interpreters – not all news-sources prioritize deaf-accessibility. And due to masks being worn, it is impossible to read people’s lips for communication, said Lourindia Janssen, an employee at Deafinitely Coffee.
Job security for special-aid is also not always prioritized, Janssen added.
The organisation prioritizes awareness, above all, in hoping to reach a larger community within South Africa.
“Deafinitely is actively part of the deaf community, which allows for a greater understanding of what the community’s needs truly are,” said Janssen.
“All our workers are deaf or ‘hearing-impaired.’ Customers are introduced to the challenges a deaf person needs to face daily. They are encouraged to engage with the workers verbally, as well as visually,” Pienaar explained.
Dineo Ramasodi and Kamegelo Madisa are the baristas at Deafinitely Coffee, at the Boeremark in Pretoria. PHOTO: Anel Pienaar
The coffee shop allowed for the employees to go beyond simply interacting with their customers on the topic of whether they take milk with their coffee, or not.
“We are empowering the deaf community, while creating awareness about deafness – we’re acting as a bridge between people of different abilities and cultures,” Pienaar said.
“We get to teach basic Sign Language vocabulary, interact with children on the topic of deafness and we get to build a community that is not only sustainable, but informed,” according to Pienaar.
The 21-day Lockdown Challenge
Following the limitations that the national lockdown has put on South Africans, Deafinitely took to social media to overcome the challenges presented and to keep raising awareness. The organisation started the 21-day Lockdown Challenge, via Facebook, where basic Sign Language vocabulary is taught every day.
After the extension of the national lockdown, Deafinitely has also extended their 21 day challenge – by sharing bonus words from the deaf community.
“We are working with an accredited interpreter,” said Pienaar, adding that they will be offering quarterly courses once the lockdown period is over.
Vocabulary is taught to the public by Deafinitely’s staff members.
This initiative aims to engage with, and expand on, the community that was already functioning in and around the coffee shop.
The initiative introduces a bigger conversation in a very specific time period, Pastor Leon Tait, board member of Deafinitely, said.
About 1.5 million people in South Africa form part of the deaf community, said Tait. “[Yet] we still live in a time where they can’t walk into a bank and simply draw a statement without it becoming an obstacle,” he said.
South African Sign Language as an official language
The fight to have South African Sign Language (SASL) acknowledged as one of South Africa’s official languages, is something that is very close to Deafinitely’s heart.
“South Africa has an incredible shortage of interpreters. We are in the process of equipping hearing persons with SASL, to start an education process and continue promoting SASL,” said Hannerie Swart, development manager of the National Institute for the Deaf (NID).
“The biggest challenge we face daily is communication,” Janssen said.
This in turn has deeper social implications, as it limits opportunities for tertiary education and results in high unemployment amongst the deaf, Janssen elaborated.
“The more organisations endeavour to create deaf awareness, the more communities and people are reached and sensitised. This is crucial in breaking down barriers,” Swart said in reaction to Deafinitely’s Facebook-initiative.
Along with the 600 viewers that tuned in daily, the initiative has received extremely positive feedback from the 21-day Lockdown Challenge. Deafinitely’s direct link to the deaf community has enabled them to witness, first-hand, the irrefutable effect that awareness has on the community.
The Facebook initiative goes further than awareness and support, said Janssen.
“It creates a sense of endurance. It encourages the need to educate yourself and, in doing so, create a community that is more inclusive,” she said.