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Mish Kumar is living proof that a disability does not have to stand in the way of your dream.
Born totally blind, Kumar runs a home-based eatery called Mish’s Kitchen Creations but has plans to open a café of the same name later this year.
She has a background in hospitality and is a fully trained barista, but became unemployed after the first 2020 Covid-19 lockdown.
Despite her work experience, she was unable to secure other employment, and around this time, she decided to open a pet-friendly, disability-diverse cafe staffed by employees with disabilities.
So far, her biggest obstacles have been other people’s prejudices when meeting her for the first time.
“My biggest challenge and their criticism. I posted something on Facebook about some food, and people said, ‘You’re playing on your disability, and you’re not blind.’
“For me, as someone who can’t see, public opinion matters, and it’s like ‘you haven’t tried my stuff, why not give me a chance, why discriminate against someone who’s really trying to provide for their child’s future? ‘”
Kumar hopes to open the new cafe by the end of the year, and as a native Fijian, will serve Fijian cuisine mixed with foods from other Pacific Islands, although she admits there’s a long way to go before she settles on a menu.
According to the Ministry of Disabled People, unemployment among disabled people between the ages of 15 and 64 in the June 2025 quarter was 14.1 per cent compared to 5.2 per cent for non-disabled people.
Kumar says: “I really wish people would stop judging someone that they haven’t met and someone who, like me, is very business-driven. If you’re going to say no, then I’m going to show you that I can do it because it’s my dream.”
