A singer-songwriter by the name of Natalie Te Paa, who is blind, celebrated her birthday in London with her close friend Claire Sara. Both of them came to the conclusion that they would want to eat at a restaurant known as Luciano. Both of them were taken aback by what transpired after they had finished their lunch.
The wait staff at the restaurant surprised Natalie by presenting her with a dish that had the words “happy birthday” inscribed in chocolate Braille. “Not in a million years! That cant be real” Natalie shouted as she ran her hands over the raised chocolate specks and examined them with her fingers. “Oh my god! Are you kidding me? That is really ridiculous, i really appreciate your support.”
When Natalie used to have her birthday celebrations at restaurants in the past, the staff would sing to her just like they do for the majority of other birthday visitors. However, this was the very first occasion that a restaurant had ever made such an extraordinary effort to accommodate her impairment.
In order to make Natalie’s birthday as special as possible, the staff went to great lengths, doing everything from researching how to write the message in Braille to ensuring that the chocolate was sufficiently chilled so that it would not melt when Natalie touched it.
Claire, a friend of Natalie’s, filmed the touching exchange on her phone and then uploaded it to the internet.
Natalie expressed her opinion that “the fact that people have reacted so much and so positively to it simply shows how much the world needs compassion right now,” adding that “the world needs to see people doing things and going above and beyond for one other.”
The birthday girl then goes on to explain that she believes the film would encourage others to have a more in-depth discussion about being inclusive.
“Being blind is not an easy condition. There are many instances in which you will be subjected to prejudice, and you will often deal with situations that are testing, trying, and unpleasant. Consequently, the fact that they did it for us really opened the door for a dialogue about awareness.”
What a wonderful moment, and what a clever way to make this birthday girl feel special and engaged in the party!
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