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Helping disabled workers fit in to their environment by the design and management of a specially-fitted kitchen is the challenge that faced the Elior training team for AFAEDAM (Association familiale pour l’aide aux enfants déficients de l’agglomération messine - a family Association to help deficient children at Metz).
State-of-the-art technologies to help the disabled
The Centre d’Aide par le Travail (CAT) (Work Help Centre) at Varize (57), since 2010, has a new generation kitchen for preparing its meals. Designed and built by Créacept, a design office specializing in restaurant services, and the VP&A Architecture firm, this central kitchen measuring 870 m2 was specially thought out to facilitate everyday use by its disabled users (reception, cold store, dishwashing …).
Tactile controls, lighted pictograms, automatic cooking programming systems ... the kitchen benefits from the very latest equipment. The kitchen posts have been individualized and demarcated by colour codes. Materials and signage have also been chosen specifically to optimize safety on the premises.
Tailor-made accompaniment
To prepare the kitchen for its entry into service, the 17 disabled workers who contribute to producing the meals, were provided with tailor-made accompaniment. Supervised by a monitor under the watchful eye of the Elior team, they had the opportunity of getting used to the new tools, learning how to use the equipment, and discovering the working methods and organization.
Since the opening of the kitchen in early 2010, it has been a great success: on average, around 1200 meals are served every day in the 9 facilities managed by AFAEDAM (school restaurants and retirement homes). The Association has no intention of stopping while the going is so good! The goal for 2011: to produce 1500 meals each day and expand its clientele.
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