After often getting scolded, mocked and even once beaten by customers due to misunderstandings when taking orders, a disabled restaurant worker has decided to make his condition clear to people in hopes that they will be more compassionate towards him.
With that, he decided to wear a pin on his shirt that says, “Maaf, saya OKU”, which translates to “I’m sorry, I’m OKU (disabled)”.
According to a report by Berita Harian, 42-year-old Che Mohd Fadil Che Abdul Rahman (or more affectionately known as Pakdo) who is psychosocially disabled and has a limp, shared that he has been working at a restaurant in Jalan Dusun Muda, Kelantan, for 8 years now.
In those 8 years, he has encountered countless unwanted incidents which led to him making and wearing the pin that says “I’m sorry, I’m OKU”. However, the pin hasn’t exactly stopped certain situations from getting out of control.
“My job is to take orders, and if there is confusion when taking orders or if there are many instructions, I get stressed,”
“But despite that, there are also many considerate customers. Ever since I started wearing the pin, my employer has received fewer complaints about me because customers know of my shortcomings,” he said.
After working as a security guard, Pakdo decided to try his luck in the food and beverage industry and landed his current job at the restaurant.
He explained that he looks normal on the outside, though his current employer eventually detected his shortcomings. Thankfully, the employer gave him the opportunity to keep working.
His employer, 48-year-old Wan Marnizena Najib, described Pakdo as a hardworking man despite occasionally getting ‘winded’ if the atmosphere gets tense.
“In the beginning, Pakdo was only assigned as a dishwasher. But after a long time here, he asked to be allowed to take orders,”
“Mistakes were being made too often, either by taking the wrong order or due to his own attitude. He sometimes gets ‘moody’, which causes misunderstandings with customers. But, after using the pin, I have received fewer and fewer complaints about Pakdo,” she explained.
We’re truly proud of Pakdo for rising above his hardships in an effort to keep his job. However, we do hope that people learn to be kinder to others as you’ll never know what other people are going through.
What do you think about this? Do feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section.
