With sign language

In this café, you order coffee without words

Faie (33) has a hearing impairment and is training at Austria's first sign language café(Bild: Dostal Harald)

The "Gutmut" in Linz is Austria's first sign language café. The aim is to prepare deaf people for the regular job market in the catering industry in a one-year training course. Hearing people are also welcome as guests.

Faie (33) takes the order, prepares the coffee and serves it to the table. So far - so normal! The only unusual thing is that the whole process takes place without words. Faie is hard of hearing and communicates best in sign language.

Unique in Austria
She is currently undergoing a one-year training course at Austria's first sign language café, the "Gutmut" in Linz, which is intended to prepare her for the regular job market in the catering industry. The project was set up by the Hospital of the Brothers of Mercy, where three deaf people "push" the business together with hearing people from the catering scene.

Faie (33) is hearing-impaired and is training in Austria's first sign language café(Bild: Dostal Harald)

Hearing guests too
The aim is to appeal not only to hearing-impaired guests, but also to hearing guests. But what does that look like in practice? "By pointing or writing down. QR codes are soon to be added to the menu so that guests can watch videos explaining how to order in sign language," says Manuela Kaar from the Hospital of the Brothers of Mercy.

Café Gutmut in the center of Linz(Bild: Dostal Harald)

Even dialects in sign language
An estimated one in a thousand people in Upper Austria are hearing-impaired and communicate using sign language. The signs differ depending on the national language, and there are even different dialects. The causes of deafness are manifold. A small part is inherited, but rubella during pregnancy or meningitis can also be possible causes.