{"id":27392,"date":"2021-08-28T02:27:29","date_gmt":"2021-08-28T02:27:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cmshub.wpengine.com\/?p=353266"},"modified":"2024-11-03T15:14:31","modified_gmt":"2024-11-03T15:14:31","slug":"blind-customer-surprised-with-sweet-message-in-braille-for-her-birthday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/blind-customer-surprised-with-sweet-message-in-braille-for-her-birthday\/","title":{"rendered":"Blind Customer Surprised With Sweet Message In Braille For Her Birthday"},"content":{"rendered":"

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While many businesses do their best to accommodate those with special needs, some go above and beyond to make everyone feel special.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Blind singer and songwriter Natalie Te Paa was at such a restaurant, the Luciano by Gina D\u2019Acampo<\/a> in London with her producer for her birthday.<\/span><\/p>\n

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It\u2019s an upscale Italian restaurant, so they expected the fare to be excellent, but they didn\u2019t expect to receive such incredible service.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Photo: Max Pixel<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The staff at the restaurant usually use chocolate to spell out \u201cHappy Birthday,\u201d for their customers, but when they heard that Natalie was blind, they went the extra mile to write out \u201cHappy Birthday\u201d in Braille.<\/span><\/p>\n

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It may seem like a small thing, but the little extra effort they made really made a world of difference for Natalie, who felt seen and accepted at that moment.<\/span><\/p>\n

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You can see the joy and disbelief on her face when she realizes what they did in the video below:<\/span><\/p>\n

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@natbysight<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019ll never forget this moment. #braille<\/a> #blind<\/a> #blindtiktok<\/a> #viralvideo<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

\u266c Epic Emotional \u2013 AShamaluevMusic<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/section>\n

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The general manager of the restaurant, Giovanni Gallucio, spoke with TODAY<\/a>, explaining that they usually use melted chocolate to write the birthday messages, but for Braille, they had to make sure the chocolate was hardened. She said it was the first Braille message they ever wrote for a guest.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Natalie shared that she\u2019s gone out for her birthday in the past and had staff sing for her, but this was the first time her disability was accommodated in such a meaningful way.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Photo: TikTok\/natbysight<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Not only did staff have to look up how to spell out \u201cHappy Birthday\u201d in Braille, but they had to make sure the chocolate was cold enough to touch without melting or smearing.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Natalie hopes to open conversations about inclusivity in different industries, and this experience was a perfect example of what true inclusivity can look like.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Photo: Wikimedia Commons<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

She stated to TODAY:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to make [dining out] more inclusive for people of all disabilities \u2026 Being able to learn how to get on the level of the person you\u2019re seeing in front of you. If just one restaurant is inspired to make their service more inclusive, that\u2019s all I could ask for.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

You can follow Natalie on TikTok<\/a> and Facebook<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

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