Dishing Up Communication in the Barwon South-West Region

A Scope initiative is helping to make eating out more enjoyable for people who have communication difficulties.

The Cafe Project, developed by Scope’s Barwon South-West Regional Communication Service, aims to support cafe staff to provide communication access to customers with communication difficulties. Dish Cafe in Geelong is the first eatery in the area to serve up the initiative.

Owner Elizabeth Cairney said she was very keen to get involved as she wanted to ensure that her cafe was catering to the needs of all patrons.

The cafe now has a communication board, as well as menus with photographs along the side of each meal so that diners are better supported to make choices about what they are ordering.

“I was surprised to learn that all that was required to create a more inclusive environment was to learn some skills and incorporate a few very simple, yet helpful tools such as pictures,‘’ Ms Cairney said.

“The photos are also very enticing for patrons as you can clearly see how delicious everything looks.”

Scope Speech Pathologist Janice Buckland spearheaded the project in the region, saying it was wonderful to provide practical ways for the community to become more accessible and welcoming.

“Often it just takes some very small changes in our community to make a big difference to how much someone with a disability or communication difficulty can participate in the community,’’ Ms Buckland said.

“This is something that all cafes in the Barwon South West Region can do.’’

For more information about the Cafe Project contact Janice Buckland via email jbuckland.crc@scopevic.org or phone: 52215444 Dish Cafe is at 66 Little Malop Street, Geelong.

Accessibility Rating on the Menu

Your restaurant may get chef hats and stars, but does it have an accessibility rating?

Scope is developing a restaurant rating initiative to ensure that the foodie capital
of Australia is inclusive to all.

One in four people in Victoria either has a disability or is a carer. This means that potentially, a quarter of Melbourne dining groups may have a hard time knowing
where to go to enjoy eating out. While one in 500 Victorians has a communication difficulty.

For many, the easiest option is to avoid the embarrassment and stay home. Scope is now developing a tool which will provide a rating scale for restaurants and is inviting the restaurant industry to express its interest in the concept.

For restaurants who want to be inclusive to all, Scope can provide assessment, training and recommendations to ensure that you can provide a complete and welcoming dining experience to all customers.

We intend to submit this information to The Age Good Food Guide 2011 for publication, with the possibility of creating a resource for diners with a disability.