To mark International Day of Sign Languages (September 23), KFC India has launched a programme that promises to have its speech and hearing-impaired employees trained in writing and comprehension skills by 2026.

'Kshamata', as it is called, has been launched in partnership with Atypical Advantage, a livelihood platform for people with disabilities.

Much of workplace communication being written, this programme addresses challenges speech and hearing-impaired (SHI) team members face due to limited exposure to languages other than Indian Sign Language (ISL).

The 50-hour virtual training will cover basic grammar, email writing and reading comprehension, which are crucial learning gaps faced by many speech and hearing-impaired employees, who received early education only in Indian Sign Language (ISL). While ISL remains their first language and a source of pride, workplace communication often also requires English.

By strengthening written comprehension, KFC India is helping SHI teams work more independently, communicate confidently, and grow in their careers, says a press release. In 2024, KFC India became the first Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) in the country to launch a Sign Language training programme for 100% of its employees, the release adds.

The release says that 2% of workforce at KFC will be from the SHI community in the coming year.

Other milestones under KFC Kshamata include 2X growth in the number of speech- and hearing-impaired team members, as well as special KFCs (restaurants operated by SHI employees) in the last five years. Close to 5% of SHI team members have progressed their careers within KFC and hold restaurant leadership positions currently

In 2024, KFC became the first QSR to roll out mandatory Sign Language training. Today, every new employee undergoes this training during induction, leading to 18K+ people being trained in ISL.

KFC has a dedicated Sign Language Coach who works closely with them.

KFC India trains its speech and hearing-impaired employees in writing and comprehension skills