A heartwarming viral TikTok video showed a blind guest being surprised with a message written in Braille.
The woman in the video, Natalie Te Paa, said how she was with her friend Claire Sara in a London restaurant, Luciano by Gino D’Acampo, to celebrate her special day.
The two stopped at the restaurant after seeing a show together. Sara told the restaurant workers that it was her friend’s birthday.
They prepared her a lovely surprise!
B-day Congratulations with a Message in Braille
In the video, Te Paa is seen being presented with a plate that has “happy birthday” written in Braille. Sara guided her friend’s hand to the plate and when Te Paa began feeling the raised dots and read it, she exclaimed “No freaking way! They did not!”
The caption on the video reads “so take heart despite how broken the world is right now…true kindness still exists.”
Te Paa couldn’t believe it and said it was “insane” and thanked everyone. The general manager of the restaurant, Giovanni Gallucio said how they use melted chocolate to write their birthday messages; however, this was the first time when it comes to using Braille.
Te Paa had celebrated her birthdays with beautiful desserts and the staff singing her “Happy Birthday”, but this was the first time that some restaurant accommodated her disability.
She was touched by the care that the staff put into creating the message. This involved looking up how to write it in Braille and ensuring the chocolate is cold enough so that it doesn’t melt when she touches it.
It Was the Staff’s Idea, Explained the Two Friends
What was really amazing is that Claire went to the restroom and the staff pulled her aside and asked if writing the message in Braille would be appreciated.
This was their idea, explained Te Paa, and it blew her away because it was a first. She was really thankful because they went above and beyond.
The viral video was seen more than 16 million times. Te Paa is blown away by the positive response. She believes this shows how much we need kindness and a message of hope and seeing others doing things for each other and going above and beyond.
A Little Kindness Can Do Wonders
According to Galluccio, the restaurant has been operating for a few weeks only, yet they were shocked by the outpour of support. They can’t believe how this little gesture that they would do every day went viral.
He added that hospitality is all about service, about its basics-making the customer’s day. Te Paa who is a singer hopes that this video will lead to a debate about awareness and inclusivity around blindness and accessibility.
She explains that blindness isn’t easy and that there are a lot of times that blind people are discriminated against.
She believes that we need to learn how to get on the level of the person who’s in front of us. If this restaurant is inspired to make their service more inclusive, this is everything she could ask for, said Te Paa.
Sources: