I am able: Andreen Smith is the baker with a big heart

After tasting a slice of Andreen Smith’s scrumptious carrot cake, it is hard to believe that a few years ago, she could not find her way around the kitchen. These days, the bubbly 23-year-old is one of the bakers at Deaf Can Coffee, which is located on the grounds of the Caribbean Christian Centre for the Deaf (CCCD) on Cassia Park Road in Kingston.

Looking at her handiwork, Smith smiled as she explained to THE WEEKEND STAR that her cooking skills were so bad that even some of those closest to her refused to taste any meal she prepared.

“It is really a funny story because I couldn’t cook at all. When I was in upper school, I moved into the independent-living department on campus, and I would notice the other girls were cooking. I couldn’t help them, but they used to show me what to do. I was about 19 at that time, and when I went home and tried to cook for my family, no one would trust the food to eat it,” she said between laughter.

Smith said that she has now developed a passion for the culinary arts but admitted that her heart lies in the area of cosmetology. However, she said that some persons do not have confidence in her skills because of her being deaf.

“’When I graduated, I was searching for work, but for some reason, some of the clients would doubt my ability to even relax their hair. I did get some jobs, but they did not come in fast enough. My friends and those closest to me know of my talent, but I believe that because of the communication barrier between myself and persons who can hear, it didn’t work out so well. After about three years, I took a break from the cosmetology world and started working at Deaf Can, and I haven’t regretted it,” Smith said.

Smith, who hails from Gordon Pen, St Catherine, lost her hearing before her first birthday. At seven months, complications from meningitis caused her to lose her hearing. After graduating from St Christopher’s School for the Deaf, she enrolled at CCCD in 2007. She has only high praises for the institution, which she said has paved the way for a lot of deaf persons.

“It is not just a school, but we are like a family here. The staff genuinely loves and supports us. They let us know that we are just as important as those who can hear and they, along with our parents, teach us to be independent. Persons just need to get educated about the deaf community, and sign language should be taught in the classroom. We don’t want to feel like we are inferior to those who can hear as we are just as smart and intelligent. Sometimes being deaf means being underpaid, and that needs to stop. We are like any other person who wants to reach somewhere in life,” she said.

Smith said that working at Deaf Can Coffee has allowed her to advocate for the deaf community as the job entails travelling across the island.

“We go to a lot of events, and this is where some of the stereotypes are broken,” she said.

When asked about her future plans, Smith said she still has her eyes on opening her own salon.

“I still do hair on weekends at times, but in the future, I would hope to have my own salon because this way, I could employ a lot of deaf persons,” Smith said.