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02
Oct
2019

Entrepreneur Creates Braille Menus

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Hillary McFadden

Hillary McFadden enjoys visiting different restaurants, especially those with food from other cultures. However, since she has a visual impairment, it can be very frustrating to have to rely on someone to read the menu when a restaurant doesn’t offer one in Braille.

She realized that others must feel the same frustration, so she came up with a solution. She independently wrote a Braille menu for Cornerstone Coffeehouse in Camp Hill, PA, one of the restaurants she frequents.

When she presented the menu to the owners, they recognized the importance of being an accessible and inclusive restaurant and purchased two menus. Encouraged by their reaction, Hillary approached Kondu Japanese Restaurant in Harrisburg, PA, another of her favorites. Kondu also bought one of her menus in Braille.

With support from Keystone Autism Services, Hillary is now turning her idea into a small business to meet this unmet need among small restaurants. Her menus are currently priced at $2.50 per page, making becoming an inclusive restaurant a very affordable option.

We will be following Hillary as she prepares her business plan, promotes her business, and makes independently reading a menu an option for all patrons.

Hillary was featured on the cover of the October 2019 issue of Business Woman. Read the cover story about how she started her own business and became a competitive speed skater.