JOHOR BARU: A single line in a job ad – “People with disabilities are welcome to apply” – paved the way for employment for six individuals while giving Ruzimi Mohamed (pic) new insight into the struggles of his peers.
Ruzimi, 41, who was born without legs and one arm, said he never expected the response to the advertisement to be so overwhelming when he and his wife, Quratul Ain Hasanan, opened their restaurant in Bandar Dato Onn in January.
The couple had decided to venture into the food and beverage sector after their existing businesses were affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
“My wife runs a kindergarten while I have an information technology (IT) company, but both of our businesses were badly affected when Covid-19 hit.
“That was when we started thinking about venturing into the food and beverage sector. After years of planning and saving money, we were finally able to open a restaurant,” he said when met at the restaurant yesterday.
Ruzimi, who holds a PhD in computer science, explained that the couple initially intended the restaurant to serve as an additional source of income.
However, his approach to recruitment changed the direction of the business.
He put up a hiring notice, complete with a QR code, outside the restaurant and included the line inviting people with disabilities to apply.
“I added the note because I wanted to be inclusive and give everyone a chance.
“To my surprise, out of about 35 applications I received, 24 were from people with disabilities. That was when I realised how significant that one line really is to others like me,” he said.
Having started his first business while still a student 16 years ago, Ruzimi never knew the struggle disabled jobseekers face.
“When I saw the number of applications I received, I realised how difficult it must have been for others out there.”
The father of two initially hired three people with disabilities and three without when the restaurant opened, saying the couple were new in the business.
“Now, all six of our employees are people with disabilities – three are wheelchair users, two are deaf and one has a learning disability,” he said.
Ruzimi said he had also designed the restaurant’s workplace with accessibility in mind, drawing on his own experience.
“As a wheelchair user myself, I tested the layout to make sure the tables and equipment were at a suitable height.
“The tables in the kitchen are lower, and the equipment is placed within their reach.
“We want to create a suitable working environment for them instead of expecting them to adapt to a workplace that was not designed with their needs in mind,” he said.
Ruzimi hopes to expand the restaurant through a social franchise model within the next five years.
However, he said prospective franchisees would have to meet one important condition – at least 30% of their employees must be people with disabilities.
“The aim is not to employ them out of sympathy, but to help them develop their skills, build their careers and have their own achievements.
“They should not be relegated to behind-the-scenes roles. They should be given the chance to work both at the front and back of the restaurant and interact with customers,” he said.
