Henry Li watches his customer’s hands. They’re moving slowly in simple shapes; silently delivering an order. Henry smiles, nods his head, and sets about creating two cups of sweet Nanyang-style coffee. His customer raises their thumb and flexes it twice: ‘Thank you’. ‘No problem,’ Henry signs back: another satisfied customer.

Henry mans the barista station at Dignity Kitchen, a new Singaporean-style hawker centre in Hong Kong – with a twist. Like Henry, most of the employees who staff the kitchens and service areas have some form of physical or intellectual disability. For Henry, this means a hearing impairment, which makes it more difficult for him to work in other coffee houses. But at Dignity Kitchen his talents are embraced, with extra measures put in place to help him shine.

‘We have photos and videos to teach the customers simple sign language,’ Henry explains. ‘This helps me a lot by easing the communication barrier when making drinks. It also enables me to make friends with my customers.’