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The opening of a new bar is a rare sight these days but even more unusual is one that staffed
mainly by people with disabilities. The Inclusion Bar has been specially built to cater for
workers of different abilities including wheelchair accessible taps and a talking register for
staff who are visually impaired. Caroline McGrotty has hearing difficulties
but she says she finds ways around it. If you ask them again nicely and say “Sorry
I’m Deaf,” or just say “Sorry can you repeat that again?” and they say “Fine,
“ and they just tell me again. If I do have a problem then I ask them to write it
down, or maybe there’s a paper and then they just point, whatever they want. So it’s
not difficult, there are ways to get through the barriers.
The bar which is located in the Axis Centre in Ballymun, is designed with disabled customers
in mind, but they’re hoping to attract all types of all clientele. It is being run on
a not for profit basis, with the revenue being re-invested in the business. And staff say
that it’s given them a chance to work and socialise in an environment that’s often
difficult for people with disabilities. It gives us the kind of freedom to go out
and enjoy ourselves like anyone else. Where I live, it’s very out in the country,
and there’s not that much buses, access and all that so it means the world to me,
it really does. You ask any people with disabilities, “What
are the jobs that are out of reach?” and they’ll say, “Hospitality”. As we all
know hospitality is made for speed, it’s made for the lowest common denominator. People
with disabilities don’t fit in and I think there’s a terrible inequality so it goes
to show, if you get the environment right, people with disabilities can work and also
socialise. For the first few weeks the bar will open
on Sundays only, starting this weekend. Samantha Libreri, RTE News, Ballymun in Dublin 11.