OPERATIONS BRAILLE MENUS MAKE NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND FEEL WELCOME AT ORANGE CO. CONVENTION CENTER
Attendees at the National Federation of the Blind's conference at the Orange County Convention Center
When groups come in with special needs, it’s a great opportunity to push ourselves a little, and be innovative from the service perspective.” “
- Warner Peck
than just that place with the famous mouse. “I think people want to be chal- lenged by food when they travel,” Peck says. “We’re so much more than just el- ephant ears and cheese fries.” Also during the event, for safety, the OCCC put a ban on the Segway scoot- ers that normally cover the massive 8 million-sq. ft. space. And features like furniture, trash receptacles and dis- plays were not moved throughout the event, as people had gotten the lay of the land on the first day. “The convention center opened up the walkways for guest flow, and noth- ing was changed or modified,” Peck says. “Once you’re walking with the stick, you know where things are. I’ve never been in that situation, but appar- ently, you’re thinking the next 50 steps ahead as you go.” To Berggren, the whole experience was a positive one, setting the bar high for future events. “I think everyone heard our con- versations about what’s important to blind people, and it’s reflected in the interactions our members had with the staff,” he says. “It makes selec- tion of a destination much more easy, when we know that people are thinking about our members’ needs before we even arrive.”
cially for the caring staff who took the time to learn something new. “The convention center staff ex- pressed a great deal of interest in learn- ing more about the blind community, and understanding who the blind are and how best to serve our members while we’re here at the convention cen- ter,” Berggren says. “We’re an advo- cacy organization and inclusiveness is critical to who we are. So, Sodexo had the forethought to put together a Braille menu—before we asked—and that of- ten is not our experience.” A total of four menus were print-
ed, with braille descriptions of items like chicken Caesar wraps, Caribbe- an Craze wraps and more. “If you say ‘Chicken Caesar,’ people know what it is, but what’s in the Ranch Cob, or the Cheese Box? It’s those details where for folks who read braille, this is great,” Peck says, adding that “we have won- derful front-line employees who can verbally explain a menu item, and I’m always about that human interaction, but this way, it made things easier.” Like every event at the convention center, the team aims to showcase that Orlando’s food scene is so much more
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PHOTO COURTESY OF SODEXO LIVE!
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