BANGI: There is nothing unusual about the new cafe at Bandar Baru Bangi here except for the uncommon choice for its name.
Dyslexia Cafe which opened its door in November last year, is owned by Amer Adham Kamaruddin, 22.
"Being dyslexic, I feel different from my friends, especially during my school years. I was teased and made fun of, which made me become a very shy person," said Amer.
He said he was still in primary school when he first found out that he was dyslexic, with him failing to master subjects like Mathematics and Science.
"It made me feel small, I felt left behind. I was so sad that I just wanted to run away from home," he said.
However, over time, Amer said, he began to realise that his condition was an advantage of sorts and turned it into a source of inspiration.
"God does not want us to suffer, He wants us to be good and enjoy ourselves. I took my medical condition as a doorway for me to get to know myself better. Everyone has his own strengths and weaknesses and that we should not back down and admit defeat.
"We must come out of our comfort zone and do what makes us happy. Parents of children with learning disorders must constantly motivate and support them," he said.
And Amer had his mother Nor Haslinda Mohd Hanafiah to thank.
He said she was the one who realised that he had an interest in culinary, and helped him to realise his dream of running his own cafe.
"When I enrolled myself at Cilantro Culinary Academy in Subang for an advanced diploma, my mother said that one day she would open a cafe for me.
"Then when the country was put under a series of Movement Control Order (MCOs), we got the idea of operating Dyslexia Cafe from home," said the elder of two siblings.
Beside Amer, the cafe also employs his friend Abdul Qhaliq Al Azfari Muhammad, 25, who is also dyslexic, as a pastry chef and coffee master.
Amer said the cafe changes its menu every month, featuring both local and western food from traditional Malay desserts and pastries to pasta and chicken chop. It also has food delivery services to cater to those in the Klang Valley.
Amer, who has experience working at a renowned hotel, is planning to open another cafe with the same concept in Kuala Lumpur and provide job opportunities to Persons With Disabilities and individuals with the same learning disorder as him.