CHENNAI: Following TNIE’s report on the closure of the Museum Cafe at the Museum of Possibilities, the Commissionerate for the Welfare of the Differently Abled has withdrawn the move for now and announced that the cafe will continue to function at its present location.
TNIE’s report was based on an official communication from the Commissionerate on September 26, directing the cafe to vacate the first-floor premises within 60 days, and after confirmation from multiple stakeholders that Monday was the cafe’s last working day.
Following the backlash on social media and a protest outside the museum by disabled persons on Tuesday, the Commissionerate claimed the media reports of the cafe shutting down are “false” and the facility would remain functional.
Located on the first floor of the Museum of Possibilities at the Lady Willingdon College campus, the cafe is a fully accessible space and a vocational training centre.
Since its inauguration by Chief Minister MK Stalin in June 2022, it has trained 16 persons with developmental and multiple disabilities in cooking, cafe operations, customer service and hospitality, of them at least 10 have gotten jobs in restaurants and a few others have started their own food businesses. Despite the Commissionerate’s assurances — a message also shared by DMK MP Kanimozhi on social media — sources said uncertainty lingers over how long the cafe would be allowed to function and if it would be permitted to do so in the same space, as only a short-term extension is currently being discussed.
There are also talks underway to have the cafe relocated to the ground floor and convert the first-floor space into office use for the Commissionerate, sources said.
However, activists and volunteers at the museum have pointed out the ground floor space suggested is prone to sewage leaks and it would be unhygienic for an eatery to function there.
Senior officials at the department for welfare of differently abled acknowledged that such discussions had taken place but said no final decision has been made.
For now, an extension would be granted for the cafe to continue in the same space, they said. Disability commissioner M Lakshmi did not attend TNIE’s calls for a response.
Meanwhile, disability rights activists pointed out that the area now housing the cafe was previously an unused open terrace.
“It was transformed into an accessible space that provides training for persons with developmental disabilities, who struggle the most to find employment. It is disheartening that the very department meant to create more such spaces is considering dismantling it,” said Vaishnavi Jayakumar of the Disability Rights Alliance.
