Deficiencies, Biases and Will

?

I visited a coffee shop a few days ago, which I had been twice before. I settled into my favorite table, hoping to read or scribble while enjoying a nice cup of coffee. There was some litter nearby. From the opposite side, it was difficult to observe, and I might have chosen to ignore it. But if it was cleaned, I was thinking I would feel more at ease. I realized that I had asked the counter staff to tidy the corner just before I placed my order. She smiled and agreed. In addition to waiting for my coffee, I also waited for the corner to be cleaned. It was a Saturday afternoon, and the cafe was not busy at all. Half of the seats were empty.

The employees appeared at ease and engaged in conversation with one another. Aftee waiting for ten minutes, I noticed the staff (I had requested to clean) standing and chatting with her colleague. Five more minutes later, I went to request her again and again after five more minutes. Despite her promise to come and clean, she never did.?

My coffee was finally delivered by another staff. With a smile, she set the coffee on my table. I became irritated right away and started protesting, saying, "I've already asked three times to have this corner cleaned. Would you kindly let me know if this is possible or not?"? She gave me a smile and raised her hands in a manner to stop me. I struggled to understand her odd reaction, I realized that she was attempting to make me understand that she was differently abled (deaf-mute).

My anger vanished in an instant. I smiled and thanked her for the coffee. She did not leave and using hand gestures asked me what I was trying to ask earlier. I attempted to convey through my hand movements that everything was well, and she may leave.? I really did not have hope from a differently abled person when I failed to have a smart speaker and politely acknowledging listener solve my little problem. Still, she gently persisted. I slightly moved the table to reveal the litter to her.?

Although I am an illiterate about sign language, I inferred from her movements that she was apologizing for the inconvenience. She requested me to wait, put my coffee on a nearby empty table, went away and grabbed a broom and dustpan, and cleaned the litter right away. She put my coffee back, perhaps asked me to enjoy my coffee and left with bright smile thanking me for my patience.?

On the one side, there was an employee who did nothing to assist a customer who was waiting despite speaking and listening clearly and acknowledging in polite English. The differently abled employee, on the other hand, who could neither speak nor hear and was rushing from table to table taking orders, quickly resolved my problem. She not only dispelled my unconscious bias that people with disabilities would not be the best candidates for a given job, but she also swiftly and efficiently resolved my problem. The irony is that, although my requests were falling into deaf ears (the first employee) they were promptly resolve by an employee (second) who was literally deaf.

The incident reinforced my belief that deficiencies, biases here and there can never stop a strong will.

- Kamal