The Blind At Work: Two Stories, Two Traumas

by Kevin Burton

   Just a sampling today, as you carry on with life, of what blind people face every day when they dare go into the workforce.

   Our first look is in New Jersey, the second, across the Atlantic in Wales.

   I could string all the news like this into a blog of its own. Maybe I should. But for now, just this snapshot:

Blind Businessman Fights To Save Restaurant

by Cecelia Levine

Daily Voice (Union Co. NJ)

   For decades, the Bendix Diner has been a roadside landmark on Route 17 in Hasbrouck Heights, serving up comfort food and nostalgia to locals and travelers alike. 

   But now, the iconic diner faces an uncertain future after borough officials shut it down on Friday, Jan. 10, citing code and sanitation violations.

   Owner John Diakakis says he’s been struggling for years to address the issues with the diner’s fire suppression system but has been unable to find a contractor willing to take on the job.

   “I’ve tried about 30 people in the last two years alone,” said Diakakis, who also happens to be completely blind. “I told them they could charge me whatever they needed, but no one would do it.”

   Borough officials flagged the suppression system as out of compliance in 2018 or 2019, Diakakis said. Desperate to keep the business running, he told officials he would only sell cold food in recent months. But when he began selling hot food again, the borough shut him down. A notice citing sanitation violations was posted on the diner’s door last Friday.

   “The way that I was treated, I feel like I was steamrolled completely,” Diakakis said. “They didn’t care about anything. They made my kids throw out food. Everything had to go. They were heartless.”

   Diakakis, who started working at Bendix Diner as a teenager while studying at Ithaca College, has poured his life into the business. After his brother struggled with addiction, his sister became a schoolteacher, and his mother fell ill with cancer, the family business naturally fell on his shoulders.

   He learned the layout of the diner through repetition, relying on his hearing to navigate the bustling kitchen and serve customers.

   “I see with my hearing,” Diakakis said. “I’m so in tune and perceptive. Sometimes, I lose it when there’s too much noise because it breaks my concentration. Until you see it, you wouldn’t believe it.”

   Diakakis admits he’s been losing sleep since the shutdown and says it feels like there’s an agenda to close the Bendix Diner for good.

   “It’s not like I wasn’t trying,” Diakakis said. “I’ve made so many phone calls. After a while, you just feel like no one wants to be bothered. But this is my place, and I’m trying to fix this problem.”

   The closure has left him worried about how he’ll pay his rent and property taxes, which total nearly $40,000 a year. “This is my only source of income,” Diakakis said.

   After his mother’s death last November, Diakakis’s siblings suggested selling the diner, but he’s been reluctant. The Bendix is more than a business to him—it’s a legacy.

   “It might be the end of the Bendix Diner,” Diakakis said.

   For now, Diakakis says he is desperate to find a contractor to fix the fire suppression system before it’s too late.

Blind Man Wins £18,500 After Bakery Firing

by James McCarthy

BBC News

   A blind man fired during his probation at a bakery amid claims he made mistakes has won £18,500 ($22,630 US), including £12,000 ($14,680 US) for injury to feelings.

   An employment tribunal found not enough was done by The Village Bakery in Coedpoeth, Wrexham county, to accommodate Ian Stanley.

   He was dismissed six weeks into his three-month probation.

   The company, which employs 170 at the plant, claimed it was on health and safety grounds, that production was affected and that there was a risk of damage to machines.

   Judge Rhian Brace upheld Stanley’s claim he received “unfavorable treatment” in being dismissed because of his disability.

   Stanley, who is registered blind and was diagnosed with Bardet Biedl syndrome in 2010, worked as a factory packer for 18 years before he was taken on by The Village Bakery.

   The tribunal heard his bosses knew of his disability.

   Night shift manager Kevin Jones said he soon received reports Stanley was making mistakes, including crashing racks of bread into machinery, dropping loaves and not cleaning trays properly.

   He was given various jobs, including measuring the temperature of bread, but had difficulty reading the thermometer. He also had problems in using a small keypad to clock in.

   The tribunal found he should have been given more time to learn the layout of the factory and other procedures.

   “We concluded that giving the claimant more time to familiarize himself with the processes, the people and the factory environment would have been a practicable step that would have been effective,” Judge Brace said.

   Tom Breeze, manager of the Coedpoeth bakery, said the company could not afford to employ someone especially to help Stanley even on a short-term basis.

   The tribunal rejected this.

   The panel also rejected the argument health and safety issues were a consideration because Stanley had been allowed to continue working for six weeks without a health and safety assessment.

   However, in the remedy judgement, the tribunal concluded: “There was no more than a 50 percent chance of the claimant reaching the standard required at the end of that probationary period with adjustments and continuing in employment beyond the probationary period as extended.”